Green Eyes & Fiendfyre
by Nefarious Matchbox
Summary: Harry finds himself in another world and as an attendant to a short-tempered prince. Damn you, Potter luck. (Zuko! and Harry! centric; follows the show with minor changes; minor past AU for Harry Potter world.) Rated T for swearing and violence. NO PAIRINGS for Harry; canon pairings remain.
1. Before Record: Unfortunate Events

**Green Eyes & Fiendfyre**

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 **Harry Potter x Avatar: The Last Airbender**

 **AU: Harry and Ginny never really got seriously involved after the war. They remain as good friends. Harry is an auror (of some sort). He is 27 at the time of his world-switch, and roughly 30 when the show itself starts. He is gruffer and blunter but still laid-back, as I think that's how someone who was raised in the dubious Dursley household and then fought a war would act. He is still very loyal, but also uses his 'inner-Slytherin' more often. Think 'wolf in sheep's clothes.'**

 **RATED: T for swearing and violence**

 **DISCLAIMER: I do not own Avatar: The Last Airbender or the Harry Potter franchise; they belong to their respective owners, distributers and creators. Anything you recognize is probably theirs. Anything you don't is mine, so please don't plagiarize. This is the only disclaimer, and applies to the entire content of this fic. This fic will closely follow the episodes, and often take direct dialogue from the show. That dialogue is not mine. I'm sorry if you find the play by play of the episodes boring, but that's how it is sometimes. I do my best to make it fun.**

 **AN: The first part of many, hopefully. Review to show your support, or at least fav and follow.**

 **WORD COUNT: Aprox. 3000**

 **SET PRE-SHOW**

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BEFORE RECORD:

A SERIES OF UNFORTUNATE EVENTS

{ -04 } WIZARD

It was, irritatingly enough, a dark wizard who yet again sent Harry's life into spiralling, chaotic motion. This time it was ten years after the Battle of Hogwarts, and Harry found himself in this predicament alone.

The man had approached his house alone, slipping past the formidable wards with the aid of a dark artifact and keeping another concealed within his cloak. Harry, half asleep at his desk in the study after a long session of obsessive investigation on his latest interest, had only been able to see the figure standing in the door way, brandishing an unfamiliar object in his direction, before the world distorted around him.

He woke up on a cold and lonely beach, with only the clothes on his back, his emergency pack and his wand with him. Face down in the dirt, he felt the unfamiliar fluctuations of this place's energy and scowled.

"Well, fuck."

{ -03 } BLACKSMITH

It was convenient that Harry had taken to carrying around a stash of emergency provisions in a pouch around his neck after the war. Hermione had charmed the silver embroidered bag to be bottomless and unnoticeable; inside he kept a pair of tough dragon-hide robes and boots, several spare wands and a handful of raw unstamped gold pieces. Now he changed from the comfortable but expensive clothes he wore at home, frowning at the water-logged red and silver material and stuffing it into the bag. His trusty holly wand was still in his holster (thank Merlin), so it was only a matter of finding humanity.

It took him two hours and a language charm for him to step into the fringes of a tired-looking fishing town. Everything had an Asian influence, from the cut of their clothes to their buildings and writing. He heard the names of unfamiliar places and people as he walked, and it took him little time to conclude that he had been flung farther than he had ever thought possible.

The man breathing fire in the blacksmith's only confirmed it.

{ -02 } MAP

Harry blinked, watching the worker manipulate the flames with his hands and movements, with no sign of a focus of any kind. A flex of his senses proved that the man's aura held little to no magic, though orange sparks not present in the other, more ordinary auras around him drifted lazily in it.

It wasn't panic that seized him at being surrounded by such an unfamiliar sensation, as he had been through far too much to have that unless in _extremely_ extenuating circumstances, but it was close. He turned on his heel and hurried down the streets, in search of any other proof of him being in an entirely separate world. He nearly stumbled when he passed a bizarre creature that resembled a cross between an owl and a cat, but it's baleful yellow gaze kept him moving. After several minutes he managed to find what had to be the small town's only travel supply store and hurried to the map section.

The unfamiliar charts and foreign lands were the final piece to the puzzle. Harry was irrevocably and totally lost.

{ -01 } TRAVELLER

Of course, he wasn't going to _stay_ lost. He was _Harry Potter_ ; unimaginable situations were prone to happening on a weekly basis around him. But, despite all his knowledge and experience, the man-who-lived was stuck. The back water fishing town, far to the south of a region named the Fire Nation, was close-minded and sorely lacking in information. Villagers eyed him warily, keeping their children at their side and their weapons nearby. The most he could unearth from the place was the map, a handful of silver and copper coins in exchange for a few odds and ends he could part with and a basic understanding of the local customs. As soon as he left the town he was transfiguring his combat robes into a mixture of wizarding apparel and the Asiatic style they favoured, leaving him in a grey and maroon coat that tied about the middle and black pants.

On the map he located his best chance to find more information - the Imperial Capital City. It looked to be a large, sprawling city and one of the main hubs for travel. The nearest road to it was long and winding, and he had to guess it would take him over a week to get to his destination.

He rolled the map back up and placed it in the sac he'd bought and charmed extensively. With a saucer-like hat pulled low over his face, he began his journey into parts unknown, appearing to be any other traveller.

That was, of course, when the infamous Potter luck really kicked in.

{ 00 } ZUKO

There was a little known retreat to the south-east of the Imperial Capital, built in the middle of rolling green hills and craggy mountains dotted with ever-flowering trees. The road from the Capital to the country side was cobblestone but rarely used, and marked on few maps. Harry, coincidentally, owned one of these maps, and seeing its relatively straight and quick path, he decided that it would be the best route. The landscape was mostly silent, interrupted only by the calls of the peculiar badgerfrogs and gecko robins and the jingle of the tall, bronze walking staff he had found in the last village. There was a handy hollow centre near the top, allowing for him to seal one of his spare (and illegally-procured) wands. It permitted him to do small acts of magic without having to blatantly wave his arm much or withdraw a wand from a holster. Little loops hanging from the ring at the top chimed cheerfully – apparently it had belonged to a journeying minstrel, and the merchant he'd bought it off of said the little rings were for good luck, and the larger one for catching the blades of swords or spears thrust at it. Seeing the sense in having such a staff in a world where swords and the like were quite common, he travelled the roads with it and hoped it made him look like he was a local – or, at the very least, from this world.

It was past noon when he walked past a turn-off leading into the tall woods. He sent a curious glance down the road and caught sight of tall wrought-iron gates tucked into the trees, framed by a strong stone wall that continued on out of sight. It had to be an estate of a rich family or something, because the insignia of the Fire Nation was embossed on the front of gates, made of what he was fairly certain was solid gold. He saw twin guards standing on the other side bearing halberds, eyeing him suspiciously from beneath their ridiculous helmets, so he tipped his saucer hat to them in greeting and continued on. He did not doubt that beyond the gates were more trees then manicured gardens and a vast white courtyard and large house, if the rich houses he'd seen in a handful of large towns held true to central Fire Nation.

He continued to walk on for another hour or so, musing about the large divide between social classes he'd seen throughout the southern-most part of the Nation. Like the decrepit fishing town he'd first entered almost three weeks ago, the poor lived in squalor and were in a forever exhausted state, while the wealthier of merchants and those from old families lived off the cream of the crop. It reminded him of the Wizarding world, in a slightly convoluted way.

The distant sound of clattering hooves interrupted the peaceful atmosphere, and Harry looked up to see a carriage coming into view at the top of the next hill. It was made of grey wood and had bronze accents that gleamed brightly in the sunlight, and was pulled by a pair of dragon moose. The odd creatures were moving along at a good trot, no doubt bringing a rich ambassador or a figure of equal importance from one city to another. Three armored militia men were sitting atop the carriage, one holding the reins and the others keeping a close eye on him as they approached, and Harry passively moved to the side of the road so they could pass. He could hear them murmuring to each other but all he did was adjust his sack and continue walking. They were fifteen feet behind him when a loud whistle pierced the air. The soldiers on the carriage started and Harry instinctively scanned the horizon, trying to find the source of the loud noise. Old war-honed instincts surfaced as over half a dozen figures raced over the hill and rocketed towards them. Harry recognized them to be ostrich horses, covered in dust and mounted with ratty looking saddles. The ones riding them didn't look much better – they were men in worn clothing, waving m blades over their heads and with wicked grins on their faces. They were no doubt raiders; fools that had once been in poverty and resorted to thievery to have the luxuries they wished or criminals that simply relished the violence. Harry had seen them on occasion farther south, but according to the townsfolk it was rare for them to be this close to the capital and central region.

They were either very stupid or very brave to chance the strong military presence in exchange for more nobles to attack.

Harry had to leap out of the way as they rushed past, the yells of the startled militia as they tried to urge the dragon moose faster ringing in his ears. Quick as he could, he righted himself and swung his staff at the last ostrich-horse as it rushed by. The creature avoided it with a frightened squawk but turned to face him, pawing the ground nervously. The two raiders on its back growled and tried to urge their mount forward, but Harry had dealt with things more dangerous than a skittish ostrich-horse (namely dragons and full-moon crazed werewolves) and he sidestepped its panicking charge. With a flick of his staff he caught one of the raider's sabres in the ring and sent it flying across the road. A shake of the staff's little charms dissuaded the ostrich-horse from snapping at him with its sharp beak, and he yanked the sloppily-done saddle hard enough that the girth that ran under the bird-equine's stomach snapped free. The raiders tumbled to the ground with startled shrieks, and it took Harry little time to smash them over the head with his staff, sending them a bit of magical jolt to make sure they actually fell unconscious.

More yelling and the thump of approaching steeds made him look up, and he saw more soldiers rush over the hill on their own ostrich-horses. He turned to see the carriage being besieged by the raiders; the soldiers protecting it were having a hard time, and one was already on the ground and trying to avoid getting trampled. The soldiers were no doubt fire benders – no noble would employ regular ones for their own protection – but they were smart enough to not throw flames while atop a wood carriage. The raiders, on the other hand, weren't that intelligent or just didn't care, as one of them threw a messy punch and produced a sputtering flame that licked at the rear of the carriage. The wood was most likely treated to be fire proof, as fire was too common of an element to not protect against here, but whichever fool that had designed the carriage had not taken the silk curtains into account. They burst into flames easily, and licked at the inside of the carriage, where pillows and cushioned benches were. There was a startled cry as more smoke started to curl from the carriage.

Well. Harry wasn't going to stand for this to happen right in front of him. The soldiers weren't doing much, and reinforcements were only just bearing down on them. He rushed forwards, using a bit of the ambient magic to give him a bit more a spring to his step, and slammed shoulder first into one of the ostrich-horses. The thing shrieked and toppled, spilling its riders to the ground, and got up a moment later to run off. He ignored it and met one of the raider's frantic spear thrusts with his staff, directing the blade away from his face. The man tried to bring it back around, but Harry got in close and slammed the butt of the staff into his gut. A pivot brought him about to face another charging ostrich-horse, having turned to face the new threat, but he lined up the head of his staff with the chest of the creature and swung. It was only hard enough to sting, not break a bone, but the mount was poorly trained and reared up at the unexpected pain. Its riders were also left on the floor, one quickly trampled beneath his own comrades' steed and the other knocked unconscious with a quick kick to the head.

It was the biggest fight Harry had been in since he had arrived in this new world. There had been one or two scuffles here or there, as travelling alone attracted unwanted attention and drunken fools often started fights with him in local bars for being an ' _outsider',_ mostly based on his green eyes. Those small brawls had never been enough to get his blood pumping and bring back the humming awareness of _battle_ , but it had kept his skills sharp. Martial arts learned from eastern masters and Indian gurus didn't degrade and staff and blade handling from the Egyptian desert folk stayed fresh in his mind; he was thankful for all of that now. Having this many opponents on mounts made for a more interesting fight than he'd had the past month or so.

There were only three more ostrich-horses left, each with two raiders astride them. Out of the original eight, three had been taken down by him and two by the carriage's protectors. He left the soldiers and the incoming reinforcements to deal with them and turned to the smoking carriage, which none of the soldiers had thought to open. The door flung open as he hurried over and a small figure rolled out, face covered by a piece of ripped cloth and arms raised to cushion the fall. Coughs shook their frame, so Harry took a protective stance over them and kept his eyes on the battle. It was a good thing he did, because a raider broke off from the fight and made for the wheezing child on the ground behind him. He no doubt intended to take him as hostage, so that he could escape, but Harry wasn't going to take any more shit and swept aside his sword thrust. A lightning fast step into the man's guard prevented the man from moving away, and he smashed his ribcage in with the butt of his staff, then brought the shaft behind the man's head and pulled down, meeting halfway with his knee. The man fell to the ground comatose, nose broken and several ribs cracked.

The other raiders were on the ground, hands wrenched behind their backs and in the process of being tied. Deeming the threat to be handled, Harry turned to the boy behind him, whose coughs were finally clearing. He seemed to be eleven or twelve and was dressed in the finery of nobles. His long hair was pulled back into the topknot favoured by most of society, held in place by a gold ornamental ring, but was plain otherwise. Squatting down, Harry waited for the boy to look up, knowing that intruding on the boy's personal space would not endear him.

"Here," he said, unhooking a canteen from his belt and holding it out to him, "some water will help soothe your lungs and throat."

The boy coughed one last time and raised his head. Harry was met with intense amber eyes, wet with instinctive tears from the smoke but strong, and remained still under scrutiny. After a second the boy swiped the canteen from his hand and gulped down several mouthfuls, pausing to let the occasional cough out.

"Your Highness!" The guards' cries alerted Harry to their approach, and he shifted to the side as they rushed to the boy, hovering worriedly. They scanned him for injuries and fussed over the slight singeing of his clothes, and Harry looked away to give them a moment. Four soldiers were hurriedly unhooking the panicking dragon moose from the burning carriage, and another two were rounding up the ostrich horses and leading them off the road.

The crunch of dirt underfoot made him look back to the boy, and saw him getting to his feet. He rubbed soot from his face and finished the last of the water in the canteen, then held it out to him. Harry rose as well and brushed some none-existent dirt from his pants before taking it back.

"Thank you for your service," the boy said, voice hoarse but posture proud and strong nonetheless.

Harry blinked, surprised by his cultured accent and mature speech and body language. The soldiers behind the boy took his silence as insolence and hissed at him, "Bow when the Prince addresses you so!"

Ah. Right. 'Prince' and 'Your Highness' both implied some form of royalty, did they not? He glanced at the fancy carriage, now burning merrily, the well-groomed dragon moose, the contingent of guards and the boy's fine robes.

Damn; his saving people thing had gotten him into another mess hadn't it.

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 **AN: Another chapter should be up in a week or so, maybe less - I want to finish writing out the entire first season before I post anymore. I'm currently on episode 12 or so, and have 60 pages on Word. This is just a teaser.**

 **Review, fav and follow.**


	2. Before Record: The Royal Family

**Green Eyes & Fiendfyre**

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 **NOTES:** **This fic spawned from one of my million three-line prompts that randomly come to me. The writing process started sometime in the middle of May, 2016. This fic was greatly influenced by the awesomely complex ATLA fic _Embers_ by Vathara; check it out. I am not copying them or taking any of their stuff; I simply found their outlook on the ATLA world very realistic and interesting, and applied minor, believable parts to this world.**

 **I'm not going to do incredibly in-depth research of the canon ATLA world. I will use the Wiki and my own opinions and imagination and re-watch the show – if what I write does not match up with what more official sources say, then sorry but I'm just going to roll with what I've got, unless it's something obvious and extreme. Then I will think about making changes.**

 **My updating habits are dubious at best. I am writing ahead with this fic, and so hope that there is not too long of a gap between updates, but shit happens. Chapters will vary in length, but I will probably post in chapters covering one or two episodes at once. There will be 'extras' scattered throughout the chapters, either where I had to fill in my chunk for the posting chapter or I had an idea or scene I wanted to write.**

 **ALSO: Someone asked, and just to tell everyone; there are NO PAIRINGS for Harry. He will be single, as no one really fits with him. Other canon pairings remain.**

 **WORD COUNT: Aprox. 4 500**

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BEFORE RECORD:

THE ROYAL FAMILY

{ 01 } LORD

The estate he had passed just over an hour ago was not, in fact, some random noble's summer cottage, but the Royal Family's vacation house. The lawns were just as manicured as he'd thought, the courtyard just as clean as he'd anticipated and the house twice as large he'd imagined. However the people occupying it were different than expected. He had originally thought of overly large men and copiously made-up ladies, with one or two snobbish servants and an occasional guard that was actually competent at what he did.

Instead he got an unbelievably terrifying man wearing the imposing Fire Lord robes and ornament.

"I hear you saved my son from raiders," the man said into the silence that was the grand hall of the mansion. He was sat upon the raised dais at the head of the room, staring down at Harry with eyes like steel. Braziers burned quietly on each side, a constant source of ammunition for the man as they were no doubt lit with his own flame and ready to be manipulated at any moment. Silent figures kneeled on cushions along the edge of the room, positioned just in front of the grand pillars that held up the arched ceiling, and Harry could feel the eyes of the prince he had aided boring into him from where the boy sat, perpendicular to his father and on the man's left.

The Fire Lord did not shift, continuing to gaze at Harry coldly. His imposing presence was easily on par with that of Voldemort, and Harry was sure to keep his spine straight and his posture perfect. Relaxing in this man's presence would be like revealing weakness before a pack of wolves. "The soldiers say you fought admirably and with great skill," he continued, hands folded neatly in front of him, "and were there to protect my son when both the guards and he," sharp eyes flicked to the pale-faced boy, "were unable to."

Harry bowed slightly from where he knelt on the hard floor in the centre of the room, accepting the malicious praise gracefully. "Where are you from?" asked the Fire Lord.

"An island to the east," Harry answered, mind flicking back to England, because technically his homeland was an island, right? "Where it rains but the hills are green," he added on, hoping to give some credit to his story because the Fire Nation islands to the east are green, rainy and rarely visited by government, from what he knew.

"Then you have travelled far, stranger. What is your name?"

"Harry."

"Hari." The name came out slightly different with their Asiatic accent, and the Fire Lord seemed miffed with the strange name of ' _needle_.' He gazed upon the man who knelt before him with a straight back and hard eyes a shade of green he rarely saw, dressed in sensible travelling robes and with his ringed staff on the floor next to him. "You have protected my son once, and the Royal family will reward you for this deed. You shall continue to protect him, as his appointed guard until you are released from service. Be gracious for this honour."

 _Gracious my ass_ , Hari thought, but he daren't say it out loud. The Fire Lord was powerful and his army just as mighty – he had only been in this world for less than a month and was still learning. Making an enemy of the most powerful government and getting chased away from the nearest source of the information, the Capital, was rash, and Hari had stopped being _that_ rash ages ago.

So he bowed forward once again, just a shallow thing that was probably not as respectful as it _should_ have been but at least something because Hari would only submit to this man a handful of times, and said, "As you wish."

There was the sweep of robes as the Fire Lord stood up and exited the room, followed by his many attendants and the handful of important-looking people who had attended the meeting. Hari could feel many eyes on him, most incredulous, as he slowly got to his feet and tapped his staff slightly.

It was a dangerous game he was going to play with the Fire Lord, dancing on the line of disrespect to the point of "treason" and mocking obedience, but they both knew it was happening. His lack of loyalties or deference was obvious to them.

He had, after all, never once called the Fire Lord 'my lord.'

{ 02 } BABYSITTER

Zuko did not know what to make of the stranger. In the panic of the raider attack, he had only managed to process the gleam of bronze and green eyes after escaping from the smoldering carriage. He remembered a calm voice and gentle hands passing over the canteen of water to soothe his throat, but the shock of the event had stopped any other observations. Now, gazing at the man who stood in the Grand Hall looking perplexed and annoyed, Zuko felt only irritation.

He did not want a babysitter – he did not _need_ a babysitter. He was twelve; he could take care of himself! All this protector nonsense was unnecessary; the carriage incident was a rare occurrence. As was the black-cloaked man who had snuck into his quarters six months ago, and the poisoned hippo-cow filet just over a year ago and…

Well, maybe he did need someone there to watch his back, but did it have to be a stranger? He furrowed his brows and reluctantly made his way to the man, Hari. The man turned to face him as he approached, and Zuko once again saw his green eyes, a colour he had never seen before. Apparently only people from the Earth Kingdom had the colour, even though it was rare there as well, but Hari's temperament and complexion did not match up with them.

Hari did not bow like almost everyone else that Zuko had met, instead nodding his head slightly. The movement caused the rings on his staff to jingle quietly, and Zuko sent a curious glance towards it.

He was dressed well enough, Zuko supposed. At least he wore rich colours; the grey reminded him of steel and the maroon was similar to that on some of his formal robes, and his boots looked just as fine as any of the nobles', though they were closer to the generals' in style. He could look the part of the bodyguard of the prince of the Fire Nation, despite his exotic features. There was only one problem…

"Why is your name 'needle'?"

The man's eyebrow twitched, but he smiled nonetheless. "It's not quite that; where I'm from it means ruler. I suppose we'll be stuck with each other for a while now, so I hope we can get along."

 _Stuck with each other?_ How weird. "You're strange for a peasant," he said, and turned on his heel. "Come; the head servant and Imperial Guardsman will want to talk to you. They'll probably blather on about palace life and give you a list of responsibilities. It would be best if you ignored them and just deigned to not bother me."

He heard the soft tread of boots and jingle of rings as the man followed behind him, as well as the shuffle of a handful of guards covertly accompanying them. It wouldn't do to leave the new arrival alone with the prince immediately after all.

He made a face at the thought. It would be so stifling for the first few weeks; the same thing had happened with all the other bodyguards assigned to him, though they rarely stayed longer than a few months, either dismissed from duty or 'fulfilling' it completely. He quickly shied away from _that_ thought, as he did not need a reminder of what may happen to the calm man behind him, and hurried to the service chambers. He pointed to the ornately carved doors of the head manservant's office, where the terrifying man in charge of the household services spent his days (and he was fairly certain his nights as well).

"You must report to the manservants," he told the scruffy road man. "They'll tell you everything you need to know."

The man sighed out through his nose and approached the doors, only turning to give the guards lurking in the shadows a look. "I assume you'll look after him for me?" Seeing the guards start at being detected, he gave let out a low, unimpressed hum and slipped into the office.

Zuko waited a moment, then turned to hurry down the hallway to the gardens, where he could escape his lessons and overly-strident tutors.

{ 03 } NAMES

The head manservant, it seemed, was just as pompous as the doors he resided behind. As soon as Harry had stepped into the office he was greeted with a harried silence. A handful of men dressed in plain shirt and pants were rushing about at the edges of the room, passing small stacks of paper with neat writing on it back and forth. Every few seconds a sliding door in one of the walls would open and the servant would hand out the stack of papers to someone out of sight – probably updates as to what needed to be tended to, or if errands had to be run. The cycle would continue without pause, but the servants hardly spoke beyond a few murmurs.

In the centre of the room was a tall desk. Behind it sat another man whose servant clothes were embroidered with gold and white. At Harry's entrance he glanced up and scowled. "You must be the latest addition to the household." Without waiting for Harry to answer he shuffled through the papers on his desk and brandished his brush and ink pot. "I have heard from Fire Lord Ozai of your instatement and there are some things that must be confirmed before you may take up your duties. First, your name."

Harry leaned on his staff and scowled right back at the arrogant man. Honestly, the manservant reminded him of a bit of Percy Weasley. "Harry," he said flatly.

The head manservant wrinkled his nose. "Hari; what an uncouth name. That will not do – for all court matters your name shall now be Hiroshi, written as 'tolerant' (1), and to be introduced as Crown Guard -"

"What?" Harry exploded, brow furrowing and his staff jingling as he took a threatening step forward. He tipped the ringed end towards the harried servant. "You can't just change my name like that!"

"No member of the royal household will be presented to the court with a commoner's name. Whether you adopt it for daily use or refer to yourself with it is your choice, but anyone with the prosperous title of Crown Guard to the Prince shall not be known by such a plebeian name." The manservant, though obviously startled by Harry's outburst, did not back down and wrote the symbol for Harry's new name with efficient strokes. He eyeballed the annoyed traveller in front his desk and tapped the end of his ink brush against table top. "I hope that you have no issue with how Lord Ozai commands his household to be run," he said.

Harry let out a low growl but settled slightly. A court name – fine, he could deal with that. He would just have to ensure that any future acquaintances called him that _only_ during formal matters. "No," he said, green eyes narrowed petulantly at the head manservant. "Continue, if you _please_."

The manservant sniffed haughtily, and continued to scribble notes. "As the Prince's Crown Guard, you are to attend to him at all times unless excused by the Fire Lord or one of the military Generals. Your duties include watching over him during lessons, interviewing any and all new additions to his personal staff, accompanying him on his excursions and protecting him from harm. The security of his personal chambers also falls to you, as well as safety arrangements while travelling. Any interactions with nobles should be conducted in the manner of 'seen but not heard,' if you understand that."

So he was essentially a body-guarding baby sitter. He pinched the bridge of his nose and let out a long sigh. Bloody hell, this mess just kept on getting more and more convoluted…

{ 04 } SPAR

Zuko, as Harry later found out, wasn't _too_ much of a brat, considering his position. Over the next few days they bickered at each other, but Zuko didn't seem to mind that Harry didn't have the normal subservient attitude expected of a bodyguard, and Harry was content with the fact that Zuko treated him like he was human, unlike half the people in the royal household. As a prince Zuko would spend his days running back and forth between academic lessons, training sessions of both bending and body, and meetings with the military counsel and his father. The lessons with the tutors were alright, though their holier-than-thou attitude towards him grated on his nerves. He spent those hours leaning against the window sill of the brightly lit study off of the prince's chambers, listening and learning more and more about his new world. He learned all about the twisted plans of the current Fire Lord, and the history of the royal line, and a bit about the other nations out there. If he censored out all the bullshit about the might of the Fire Nation and inferiority of all other elements, and how the Fire Lord's conquest to rule the world was 'indeed noble and saga-worthy', he could say the sessions were quite informative.

He liked the training more though. Not only did he get to watch little Zuko get his ass handed to him in the ring, he also got match up with the household's guards. The first time Zuko went to practice his bending in the sand pit off to the side, where only qualified benders could enter to prevent people from being roasted, he was approached by the head of the guard.

"You must be Hiroshi," the man said, taking off his ridiculous helmet and revealing a pair of cool amber eyes and shoulder length hair pulled into a top knot and lightly streaked with gray. "The staff informed me that Fire Lord Ozai appointed you to be the Prince's Crown Guard yesterday after an incident with road bandits."

"Ah, yes, though I prefer to be called Harry," he answered, standing to his full height and meeting the captain's eyes. This man was not someone Harry wanted disrespect or play around with – from one warrior to another, Harry inclined his head ever so slightly.

The man's eyes narrowed and his lips twisted into a scowl. Ah, damn, so getting on his good side wouldn't be that easy. Harry let out a quiet sigh as the man adjusted his wrist guards and said, "Very well, _Harry_ ; I hope that the tales of your skill in battle are not greatly exaggerated, because we will have only the best looking after those of the royal line."

"Well, I don't know what you've heard, but I would hope they are accurate." Harry tapped the butt of his staff against the ground, a quiet smirk crossing his face as an opportunity to finally burn off some energy presented itself. "Would you like to see for yourself?"

The captain crossed his arms and tilted his head towards one of the guards who was sitting towards the side of the training ground, watching the engagement along with several others. "Lieutenant Nao will face you in the ring."

Harry watched the man climb to his feet, silently looking him over. He was taller than Harry, which in reality wasn't a rare occurrence, and was probably several years older than him. He followed Nao up several steps onto a raised sparring ring of packed dirt, twelve feet wide. The guard captain motioned for Harry's staff. "No weapons at first; just hand to hand. We'll progress when ready."

Harry rolled his eyes and handed over his staff, as well as several knives concealed in the folds of his robes and tucked into his boots. By now most of the action in the training grounds had stilled as everyone turned their attention towards their ring; Zuko had climbed from the bending pit and was sitting on a bench with a towel draped over his bare shoulders. The almost-twelve year old looked both intrigued and skeptical – he had obviously seen little of the fight with the bandits, trapped inside the carriage and focusing on getting out. Harry turned away from the spectators, used to being watched after his years as the Boy-Who-Lived, and rolled his shoulders, loosening up his muscles. Nao did the same and they both fell into their fighting stances a moment later.

The captain scowled from the side and raised a hand. "The spar shall continue until yield or pin; begin!"

Nao moved forward immediately, stance firm and pointed, and Harry stepped around it, analysing. It was as he had thought – the Fire Nation mindset and fighting style was very forward and all about attacking. It made sense – fire was not a passive element; it did not stop to rest or plant itself. It pushed forward and had the constant sense of _attack_ behind it.

Harry had fought more diverse and astounding styles than this one, so he moved into the next attack and deflected it with an easy hand to the elbow. The punch sailed past his head, and before Nao could consider backhanding him, Harry gripped his forearm, planted a hand in his armpit, steeled his stance and _heaved_. An easy twist got him some momentum and Harry had the larger man flying over his shoulder, landing on his back before him with a thud. Harry didn't let go of his arm, and was quick to lock his elbow and wrist with one arm and settle onto the man's chest. One knee dug painfully into the diaphragm, though he would have put his full body weight into the movement had it been a real fight, and his other foot pressed firmly into the man's chin. Harry knew that if he were to twist the arm holding Nao's, the lieutenant's arm would break in several places and the joints would pop loose. If he were to straighten the leg at Nao's neck with a flick of the ankle, he would either break his jaw or successfully separate the vertebrae in the other man's neck.

Nao knew it as well, if the way he swallowed and relaxed meant anything; he gasped out, "I yield."

Harry stood quickly and offered the army man a hand up. He hauled the other to his feet and enjoyed the shocked silence that had filled the training grounds. The captain of the guard seemed pleased, a barely-there smile gracing his lips, and said, "So you're better than expected. Let's try it with steel."

Harry caught his staff and nodded to the soldier who had tossed it to him. Nao was also being handed his weapon, a broadsword with a red tassel at the hilt. Harry swung his staff slightly, letting the rings jingle ever so slightly, and settled into a comfortable stance. Nao once again went on the attack, and Harry met him halfway with a grin. Maybe it wouldn't be so bad after all…

{ 05 } FAMILY

Harry took it back. This whole thing as Zuko's babysitter was not turning out to be the easy-going job it had been for the first few days. Of course it wasn't really the prince's fault – the kid was pompous, though that was understandable as he was the heir to one of the most powerful families in the world, but nice enough. Harry had not once seen him abuse his power (beyond ordering a second dessert) or disrespect his staff and the animals that lived on the grounds. He was a good kid in all.

Seeing his family now, he had to wonder where it came from. He stood slightly behind Zuko, who stood stiffly next to his father's throne, and watched through open doorway as a carriage dripping in gold and awnings rolled up the distant pathway. It was much more ornate than the one he had rescued Zuko from, and the contingent of guards attending was probably twice the size. A servant hurried to open the door, and a small figure descended from the carriage. It strode towards them, shoulders thrown back in a confident stance but their head tilted in a way that suggested an air of arrogance and superiority. Dressed in dark red and mahogany with gold accents, the young girl walking up the steps into the palace definitely looked the part of the daughter of the Fire Lord.

"Father," the child said, voice bright and strong, as she made her way down the throne room. She kneeled several feet in front of her father and bowed her head, black hair pinned back from her face.

"Azula," said the Fire Lord, and Harry had to send him a suspicious glance. Was that fondness in his voice? No; not fondness but definitely approval and pride, neither of which Harry had ever heard directed towards the prince. Zuko was just standing there, looking mildly discomfited, and gazed at his sister with troubled eyes. "I am glad to hear that you have progressed in your training; I hope that when you return from your stay here you will be ready to move onto your next tutor."

"Of course," said Azula, looking up and smiling innocently. "I wouldn't want to stay with Master Sao-Long much longer; his teachings are becoming… inadequate for what I wish to learn."

There was something off about Azula. She was probably only ten at the oldest, but her gaze burned with something that made Harry uneasy. Her smirk had a hard edge to it, and Harry watched the Fire Lord exchange glances with his daughter. The princess turned to her gaze to her brother, and she said, "Hello, brother. I hope everything's well."

"It's fine," Zuko said, sounding somewhat uncomfortable but trying to relax. "I hope you had a good journey."

"Oh of course I did. Everything was great." She waved a hand, and turned wide eyes back to her brother a moment later. "Right, I forgot! _You_ got attacked not long ago, right outside the gates. What kind of raiders attack the prince; isn't it just," her lips formed the word with a smirk, " _disgraceful_."

Zuko's flinch was very small, but Azula picked up on it, if the satisfied gleam in her eyes said anything. Harry saw it as well and purposefully shifted so that his staff jingled. When the princess' attention shifted to him, he noticed Zuko visibly relax.

"Oh? Who's this, father?"

The Fire Lord turned his head ever so slightly so his piercing eyes could focus on Harry, and he regarded him coldly. "This is the newest addition to the household; he saved your brother from the raiders several days ago. I rewarded him with the position as Zuko's Crown Guard."

Harry took that as his cue and stepped forward, bowing ever so slightly. The depth of his bow would have barely been enough to greet a store clerk, never mind a princess – Harry was playing with fire here. The tightening of the Fire Lord's lips and Zuko's wide eyes told him that his silent claim of independence had not gone unnoticed. "It is a pleasure to meet you, Princess Azula," he said, straightening and meeting the girl's gaze head on. "My name is Hiroshi." _Harry._

The princess looked him over with cold eyes. "Hmm."

When it was apparent that she was going to say nothing else, Ozai waved a hand. "You should go and settle your things, Azula; we will meet again for dinner then to go over the forms you have learned. You are excused as well Zuko; return to your lessons." Ozai stood, and his two children hurriedly bowed as he swept out of the room. Once he was out of sight, Azula turned to Zuko.

"How are you, Zuzu? I hope you're not too hurt, after your guards failed miserably and let you be attacked." She flicked her hair playfully. "They should definitely be punished, don't you think?"

"Azula!" Zuko scowled at his sister, rushing down the steps towards her. Harry followed dutifully, staying several feet away from the quarreling siblings. "They tried to do their job, and I got out okay! The quartermaster is already dealing with them; you don't need to do anything to them."

"Hmph, of course you would be satisfied with the second best." They both scowled at each other and looked away. The scene was strangely similar to that of a regular sibling squabble, but the casual disregard for the wellbeing of another set Harry on edge. Zuko was evidently not happy with it either, as he turned on his heel and announced, "We're leaving. See you at dinner, Azula."

Harry was quick to catch up to his charge and they were several steps away when Azula said, "Just a moment, Zuko."

The prince huffed but turned to face his sister. Azula smirked at him and lunged forward suddenly, shifting into a firebending stance and shooting a bolt of fire. Zuko's eyes widened, and he staggered backwards, half managing to get an arm to hopefully diminish the power of the flame before it hit him, but Harry got there first. In a blink of the eye he was between the flame and his charge, staff raised. He brought his staff down on the flame and flexed his magic, sucking the energy out of the attack even as it burst into sparks. Only a few embers remained to land on his boots. Harry could feel the stares of the hidden guards, who had shifted when he leapt into action, and Azula as well. He didn't blame them – he was not a bender, and yet he had swept a flame out of existence in a moment.

Let them have their questions. He turned and placed a hand on Zuko's shoulder, urging him out the throne room doors. He met Azula's calculating gaze, and arched an eyebrow before they disappeared from sight.

God, she was already a mini-bitch. What a family.

* * *

NOTES: (1) In a royal household, when a 'commoner' is appointed to such a high position, it is not uncommon for them to be given a 'court name' if their original name was too 'common' or 'ugly,' so that the household might be able to take away from the taint of having a commoner in house.

*BEFORE RECORD means set before the series.

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 **AN: I will be on vacation for the next two weeks, and another week shortly after that for a family thing. There might not be an update fora month or so, and at the very least two weeks, as I will be across the globe. My flight leaves in three and a half hours, and I'm here doing this instead of packing. Oh well.**

 **And I lied; I thought I was on episode 12, but I'm only on episode 9. I do have at least six more chapters though.**

 **Leave a review, even if it's just one sentence. It gives me motivation, and helps me punch through watching the same episode five times and writing dialogue word for word. I try to write back to bigger reviews, and will answer questions if you ask any.**

 **I'm glad for all the support. Thanks a bunch.**


	3. Before Record: The Troubled Prince

**Green Eyes & Fiendfyre**

* * *

 **AN: So I'm back for a short while, I'll be gone again next Thursday, but I figured I could post another chapter since I've been getting so much support and this will wrap up the pre-show events.**

 **This chapter is interesting - I hope it surprises some people, and that everyone enjoys it. It was fun to write.**

 **WORD COUNT: Aprox. 4 500**

* * *

BEFORE RECORD:

THE TROUBLED PRINCE

{ 06 } OPINION

Zuko had to admit that Hiroshi – Harry – was alright. Out of all the guards he'd had, Harry was his favourite, mostly because he wasn't a stone-faced statue or an oppressive, judgemental noble like his past ones. The man wasn't exactly _involved_ in his life, because that would be 'improper', but he was a constant presence. He would listen quietly during lessons, do his own thing during training and simply settle nearby when Zuko had free time. When he wanted to go out and feed the turtle-ducks in the pond near his rooms, Harry would sit at the foot of a tree and seemingly have a nap, though Zuko knew the man was awake the entire time. When Zuko sat down to practice his calligraphy, which was coming along nicely if he did say so himself, Harry would either read a scroll or take another nap.

Harry was overly fond of naps. Maybe it was because he was so old.

Well, he wasn't _that_ old. Certainly not as old as Father or Uncle Iroh, because Harry did fun things that they didn't all the time. Like that time he put pepper in the head manservant's tea! The man had later caused an enormous uproar with his accusations flying left and right, and Harry had simply lurked beside Zuko with a half-hidden smirk in the midst of the chaos.

Harry was also exceedingly, unerringly _blunt_. About _everything_.

"You know, you look like a toddler when you stomp your feet like that," the bodyguard would say as Zuko strode towards his chambers after an infuriating tutor session. He didn't even blink an eye when the prince turned to snarl at him.

"Your left side is wide open, someone would break your ribs three seconds into a fight if you actually stood like that," was Harry's remark during Zuko's morning kata. Zuko could only flush and adjust his stance, grumbling.

Harry was a nuisance, but better than any of the ones that had been foisted on him before. It was unfortunate that most of the household seemed to agree.

{ 07 } POPULAR

Harry found himself growing popular in his new home, if the royal summer home could be called that. The first week or so was rocky, and any progress he might have made with the residents was quickly undone by Princess Azula's arrival, but the girl didn't show her face much around Zuko, and the two were left alone. The people in Zuko's life grew used to his presence and eventually (reluctantly) accepted that he was there for a while. The guards grew comfortable with him after several training sessions where he didn't scold them for 'bruising the royal prince' every time they did a practice spar with Zuko, and were friendly once Harry beat a handful of them in the ring. Now, it was a month and a half into his indefinite stay, and a cheerful group had gathered around Harry as he took a break from his exercises.

"I've never seen a style like yours," commented Nao as Harry helped himself to a canteen of water. "Where did you learn it?"

"Just while I was traveling," Harr said absently mindedly, splashing his face to get the sweat out of his eyes. "I stumbled upon a master in one of the town's I visited, and he fought better than most I'd seen, so I asked him to teach me."

"Where was he from? I didn't think a style like yours existed in the Fire Nation."

"I don't know, I didn't ask. It didn't matter where he came from – only that he could teach me to protect myself and others."

One of the younger soldiers said, "What if he'd been from somewhere else? Like," he elbowed his neighbour jokingly, "the Earth Kingdom or something?" The group of guards chuckled at the thought, but stopped when Harry shrugged.

"I don't care. Actions are what make a man; should he do what he believes is right, then so be it."

In the stunned silence that followed the bodyguard's statement, Zuko, sitting on a bench conveniently in earshot and catching his breath, blinked curiously.

Harry got up and brushed off his pants, breaking the stupefied atmosphere, and gestured for Nao to follow him to the sparring ring. "Anyway, come here. If you're so interested, I can show you some of the basics for my style. They might do you some good if you ever get deployed to the front lines." The guards scrambled to follow, the conversation forgotten, and the friendly chatter resumed.

The military was more or less welcoming his presence – now if only those blasted tutors would do the same…

{ 08 } ATTENTION

Unfortunately the good had to come to an end sometime. The Potter luck struck hard five and half months after his appearance at the palace. Zuko had been excited for weeks, as his Uncle Iroh, a retired general, was supposed to return from a military counsel gathering he'd been forced to attend any time now. Harry was bemused that a counsel gathering could take six and a half months, as it apparently had, but was content to let the prince work himself up. He was looking forward to meeting the man he'd heard so many stories about from the guards, who spoke rather fondly of him. Things were going well – Zuko was focusing in his studies, slowly learning in his training and Azula hadn't shown her face more than a handful of times. Harry was there for most of the occasions, so he quickly scared her off before she could do more than ruffle Zuko's feathers and make him skittish for the rest of the day. It was –dare he say it – comfortable.

Then it went to Hell in a hand basket in a single afternoon.

It was like any other – hot, sunny and spent in the training grounds. Zuko was off to the side, going through core strengthening exercises to help him regulate his breathing and therefore his firebending, and Harry was burning time showing the soldiers some more of his fighting style. He had occasionally been coaching them with basic moves that could save their lives in a pinch, and ways of moving and thinking that differed from their usual style but increased their arsenal.

None of them noticed the richly dressed shadow that stood at the edge of the training grounds until it was too late. The crunch of fine slippers on the packed dirt made them look up, and they all stiffened when they saw the stone-set face of Fire Lord Ozai staring them down.

"How interesting," he said silkily. "I have never seen this style of combat before, Crown Guard Hiroshi."

Harry stepped down from the ring and nodded his head. He grabbed a towel and dried his arms and face of the sweat that had gathered there. "I'm honoured that it interests you so," he said flatly.

"I find it curious that despite all my travels and battles I have not encountered your style before, Crown Guard. It seems to be most effective. You have already begun to teach _my_ troops?"

Harry hid his wince at the Fire Lord's scathing tone and calculating eyes. "Yes, though only the basics."

"Then you will not mind continuing to do so, at Hosanai base (2)."

Startled muttering erupted in the gathered soldiers, and Harry saw Zuko's eyes widen behind his father. "Your highness?" The bodyguard asked, brow furrowing slightly.

"You have until dinner to prepare for the road, Crown Guard. Your contribution to the armies of the Fire Nation will be most appreciated; you should consider it an honour. Remember to dress warmly – the Injou Mountains (3) are cool this time of year." There was a cruel glint in Ozai's eyes, and Harry grit his teeth as he realized what was happening. He was being shipped off to teach his style to the Nation's troops! Like a chess piece he was being moved from one place to another at the man's convenience, regardless of his wants. Damn him, he wasn't even Fire Nation to begin with!

"Your majesty, what of the prince?" he asked, hoping that the safety of the man's son would give him pause.

Of course it didn't. "It will be a matter of days before my brother returns," Ozai said, turning to leave. "The prince will be adequately protected in his hands."

Harry watched him walk off, wanting nothing more than to bash the man's smug face in with his staff. Damn it. Things were just getting comfortable, the future was looking reasonably good, and fate just had to go fuck it over like that.

He turned and caught sight of Zuko's shocked and hurt face and could only swear more violently under his breath. _Damn him_.

{ 09 } WAITING

Hosonai Base was sparsely furnished, badly insulated and in the middle of the Injou Mountains. The Injou Mountains were cool, inhabited only by a handful of monks and _in the middle of fucking nowhere_.

It had taken Harry almost two weeks to move between the royal summer house and the base, escorted by two ill-mannered soldiers who might have well been thugs for how they acted. After ditching them at the base of the mountains he had climbed the narrow paths and nearly gotten lost twice before finding the military base. It was a large complex, spread out across a large plateau between two moderately sized peaks and faced onto the sea that framed the west side of the mountains. Apparently it was a straight half day hike down the mountains to reach the shore and the large naval site that housed a third of the fleet that protected the Fire Nation's west coast. Strategically speaking it was a great place for a large base – it controlled the large strip of coastal land thanks to the geographical layout alone. Realistically speaking it wasn't quite as convenient. Ocean winds would often sweep up the shore and into the mountains – directly towards the base.

Plainly put, it was cold as balls.

Harry had, understandably, been in quite a mood when he arrived at the back gates of the base. He practically kicked them down, snarling. The troops within were startled at his sudden arrival. They'd known he was coming (messenger hawks were faster than owls, apparently) but obviously had been expecting someone a little more courtly to be sent by the Fir e Lord.

Harry had nearly given them a heart attack when he'd stormed in swearing like a sailor with nothing more than his heaviest coat and his staff. To say that it wasn't a great start would be an understatement.

Still, Harry settled in over the next couple of days, and the troops grudgingly approached him. When they found out that yes, he was the Prince's Crown Guard aka bodyguard but no, he was not a noble and therefore not stuck up, they were much more welcoming and were ready to hear his stories of the royal family. Harry was careful not to mention the discord between Azula and Zuko, nor the Fire Lord's disfavour of his son. The soldiers supported their nation and its leaders – thought them to be divine, even. Spitting words like that would be close to treason, and only get him into more trouble. He bode his time, laughing and joking with the men and doing what he'd been commanded to do – teach them his style. He didn't show them too much; he didn't want his personal style, the one he'd created out of a mishmash of all the martials arts he'd learned on Earth, to fall into the Fire Nation's hands during their conquest to become the greatest nation.

That was something he learned more about as well. In the military base in the middle of nowhere he heard more of the gritty details of the Hundred Year War than he did in the palace. It all sounded like some twisted version of the Nazi Movement in his home world – for the glory of our people, eliminate the unworthy, or something like that. He didn't know if the Fire Lord was aiming for genocide or just world domination, but the thought still made him grimace. Why did everything have to be so messed up everywhere he went?

Three months inched by, and he wondered how Zuko was doing. His thirteenth birthday had come and gone a week or so after his arrival at Hosonai, and his uncle would have hopefully been there to celebrate with him. He hadn't heard anything from his charge, which wasn't surprising as it was his father who had sent him away, and could only hope that he was doing well. The occasional hawk would come from the capital bearing reports and orders, and a courier would hike up every month to collect the soldier's letters and take them to civilization to distribute them. Luckily none of the troops questioned why Harry didn't have anyone to write to – there was more than one lonely soul in the army, and though unfortunate, the story of being an orphan and on bad-terms with his hometown conveniently explained his lack of attachments.

It was a cold night in the barracks, drinking and swapping stories with the soldiers, when the hawk arrived. Harry had seen it fly by to land in the aviary from where he was seated by the window, and watched absently as the man on duty hurried to free it of its scroll. He could only see the man's distant outline in the faint torch light, but it was enough to notice the man startle. The guard stumbled out of sight, and Harry wondered if he was rushing towards the main office to give the scroll to the surly lieutenant-colonel. Maybe it was another 'urgent' order for a boat to escort some hotshot noble around the peninsula like last week.

He nearly choked on his _sake_ (4) when the man burst through the door and waved the scroll in the air. "News from the capital!" He gasped, face red from the rush and the liquor he had no doubt been sneaking during his shift. "You won't believe it!"

"Eh, what is it?" asked one of the naval members, up in the base for his rotation off of the ships. His northern Fire Nation accent was harsher than normal due to the many drinks he'd had. "Did your sister finally get married?"

Features contorted, the other shook his head rapidly. "No, not that!" He held up the scroll, showing the royal crest imprinted in gold on the paper. "Prince Zuko has been banished!"

Harry was on his feet and crossing the room before he realized he'd even moved. Ripping the scroll from the man's hands, he scanned the notice and scowled when he realized that yes, it was real. It was no joke and declared very clearly that Prince Zuko, son of Fire Lord Ozai, was _banished_ and was to leave the Fire Nation as soon as possible. By decree of Ozai!

He stuffed the scroll into his robe and snatched up his staff. Ignoring the startled calls of the soldiers he rushed to his room to find his travelling robe and coin purse. Already he was calculating how long it would take him to get to the capital.

He had a charge to look after, banished or not.

{ 10 } EXIT

It took Harry another two weeks to walk across the country; it probably would have taken longer but he'd cheated and apparated from hilltop to hilltop when he reached the foothills. Those would have added another five days to his journey, what will all the ups and downs, but he managed the area in three days instead. When he stepped onto the main road into town, which was filled with komodo-rhino carts and ostrich-horses saddled with goods, he had to grudgingly admit that the capital was one of the finest cities he'd seen. The whole place was cradled in the embrace of enormous mountains, though the way the ridges were formed made him think the whole area was the imprint of a meteor landing. There were a handful of lakes dotting the area, and in the raised centre was the palace. As he walked closer he saw more houses outside of the crater, though these ones were less extravagant than those within. The middle class lived outside of the crater, then, with the nobles inside its safe walls. He passed the inspectors at the city entrance with a scowl, and apparently he looked enough like a Fire Nation native that they let him through without much more than a nervous shuffle. It was a straight shot through the city to the palace from there.

The military presence increased the further he went, and by the time he reached the palace there were at least a dozen guards standing at attention at the stairs to the palace. He marched up to the guards, and when they moved to stop him, he flashed the golden medallion he had been given at the beginning of his time at the royal retreat. It was in the shape of the Fire Nation insignia, and made of solid gold. Apparently it proclaimed him as a man of the royal household, or something like that. The guards jumped when they saw it, and hurriedly let him by. He could feel their stares on his back as he climbed to the pavilion. They were no doubt wondering why this travel-worn, battle-hardened man was a part of the household. Harry let them speculate and strode into the palace grounds.

There were more people present than he'd expected. Heads of state and guards side-eyed him as he walked by, but Harry had experience in these matters. He kept his expression firm and his back straight – the biggest part of fitting in was looking like you were supposed to be there. It didn't hurt that he had brushed off his robe before entering and charmed the steel and gold coloured accents to be a little brighter, making him look less like a vagabond and more like a well-off traveler with news for the royal family.

He stepped through the main entrance and quickly cut down a side hallway to get out sight. He paused when he realized that there was a slight problem he hadn't considered before – he had no idea where Zuko was. The location of the Prince's chambers was, obviously, not common knowledge.

Oh well. He had to find the place _somehow_ , so he went in search of a servant. When he found one, the young woman looked surprised to see someone in the quiet passageways and stuttered in surprise. He approached quickly and gently grabbed her wrist. He locked eyes with her and lightly brushed over her mind. Legilimency wasn't something he did often, only in urgent cases, like when he first washed ashore with no knowledge of the world and _now_ , and he didn't enjoy the practice, so he found what he needed and retreated from the woman's mind. He cast a faint _confundus_ , leaving the woman blinking and not remembering the slight pressure that had appeared between her eyes as the man had stared at her. She wandered off, the charm urging her to dismiss the strange man as unimportant, and Harry hurried to the royal chambers.

There were, unsurprisingly, guards standing ready at the entrance, and he impatiently flashed the gold insignia at them. They didn't move. "No one is to see the Prince," the guard on the left said flatly, face hidden by the spiked helmet he wore. Harry recognized them to be Imperial Firebenders by their clothes and armor, and grimaced.

"I have urgent matters to attend to with him," he said, trying to cajole his way into the room.

"No one is permitted." The guards intoned once more, straightening and tilting their heads aggressively. Sensing a fight brewing, Harry backed off and turned on his heel. He hid a smug smirk when his robes snapped at his legs like Snape's had done all those years ago and made the Imperial Firebenders shift uneasily. He turned the corner and paused to consider what he could do to get inside the chambers. As a Prince of the Fire Nation, Zuko's rooms would most likely have windows looking out onto the city, right?

He had snuck in through windows plenty of times before. He could do it again.

Finding an exit into a private courtyard, he cast a silent _Notice Me Not_ charm and scaled a pillar as quickly as he could. Soundlessly creeping across the roof, he kept his eyes on the location of the Prince's chambers and maneuvered until he spotted a window. Then it was only a matter of shuffling over until he could swing into it, landing like a cat in the lantern-lit room within.

He looked up to a face full of fire. Only his quick reflexes allowed him to tumble out of the way, and he dispersed the next two shots of flame with waves of his staff. He finally caught sight of his attacker a moment later, as he danced behind a potted plant. It was an old man, with a round stomach and a face that would be friendly if it wasn't as cold as ice and glaring at him. He had a grey beard and mutton chops, as well as a neat top knot. Despite his larger girth, Harry could tell that his body was made of knotted muscle and corded tendons – this man was not someone to trifle with.

He also looked strangely familiar. Had Harry seen him around before…?

"Uncle Iroh?" A familiar voice asked from a room next door. A door slid open, revealing Zuko's form leaning wearingly against the frame. A bandage was pressed to the side of his face. "What's going on?"

Iroh? _Uncle_? Shit, that meant that the man Harry was staring down from behind a potted plant was the prince's relative, as well as an ex-general. At least it was true that Zuko was safe from danger in his uncle's presence…

"An intruder," the old man said, voice hard. "Go back to your room, I will deal with him."

Zuko's glanced at Harry, and the bodyguard watched from the corner of his eye as the prince's eyes widened. "Hiroshi!" he cried, stepping forward.

"Brat," Harry said from behind the potted plant, eyeing Iroh carefully. "I told you to call me Harry."

The general's eyebrow rose and he sent Zuko a glance, relaxing slightly. "You mean Hiroshi, the Crown Guard Ozai appointed you?"

Zuko's brow furrowed and he moved closer to his uncle. "Yes, but what are you doing here?" he asked his bodyguard. "Were you dismissed from your teaching at Hosonai?"

Harry eased out of his fighting stance, seeing that Zuko was keeping his uncle from doing anything rash, and stepped out from behind the plant. He studied his charge as he spoke, "Ha, no." The Prince looked tired, bags having formed under his only visible eye. His hair, which had been full the last time he had seen him, had been shaved so that only his pony tail remained and the rest of his head was bare. He looked decidedly _older_ than before, which made sense because being banished by your own father would change anyone…

Zuko moved towards him and said, "Then how are you here?"

Harry shrugged. "I ditched the place when we got the news of your banishment," he said easily, ignoring the gobsmacked expression on the prince's face. Iroh looked rather amused and said, "Why did you come in through the window?"

"The Imperial Firebenders at your door wouldn't let me through, so I figured the window would be better than tangling with them."

Iroh chuckled and turned to usher his shocked nephew towards his bedchamber. "Come, Zuko, it's best that you get as much rest as you can. You are still healing after all." With some grumbling the thirteen year old was sent into his room, but apparently he was tired anyway and settled down. Harry waited outside the bedroom, observing the richly furnished sitting room and the gold ornaments scattered around the room. He looked up when the door to the bedroom slid closed, and saw Iroh standing there.

"I'm sorry you had to see me jumping through the window," Harry said calmly. "I had been looking forward to meeting you; Zuko told me a lot about you."

Iroh smiled at that. "I'm glad to hear that my nephew speaks fondly of me. I have also heard about you, though the guards at the summer house were just as willing to tell me your stories as Zuko. I am glad that we can both look after my nephew." There was a calculating trap in those words, but Harry paid it no mind because he wasn't pretending that he was fond of Zuko. The brat was a good kid, and he had just gotten himself into some deep shit. Having been in a similar situation as a child himself… Harry wasn't going to let him go through it on his own.

"Yeah, that brat needs someone to look after him, doesn't he?" he smirked faintly as he spoke, looking out over the city. He heard Iroh's chuckle and knew that there would be no problems between the two of them.

His smile disappeared when he turned his attention to the more serious topic. "Tell me," he said, turning to face Iroh, "what happened with the banishment?"

Iroh grimaced, his kind face going hard once more. "My brother is a cruel man," he said eventually, "and I believe he holds little favour for Zuko. Zuko spoke of turn, and Ozai took it too far. In Agni Kai, he scarred Zuko and banished him from the Fire Nation, only to return after having captured the Avatar."

"The Avatar? But it hasn't been seen in almost a century…"

"That is why it is so cruel. Zuko believes that there is still hope, and plans to search for it. He seeks only to restore his honour so that he may return home and gain his father's favour. He is… angry, now."

Harry sighed and ruffled his hair. His staff jingled faintly as he crossed his arms, and he said, eyes closed, "When do we leave?"

"A week."

* * *

NOTES: (2) Made up military base in the Injou Mountains. (3) Made up mountain chain along the west coast of the Fire Nation.

* * *

TIMELINE: For reference for pre-cannon events.

-Zuko starts off twelve years old; Harry is twenty-nine or so.

-Harry arrives in the ATLA world; Iroh goes on the military conference so Zuko is on his own in the Imperial City Palace.

-After three weeks of travel and information gathering Harry meets Zuko after the bandit attack. Ozai appoints him Crown Guard for the Prince.

-Two-three weeks later Azula arrives.

-After five and half months of service, Ozai sends Harry to Hosonai Base. Two weeks after his departure, Harry reaches Hosonai, and Iroh returns to the Royal Summer House. Zuko turns thirteen a week after that.

-Three months later, Zuko goes to the war council, faces Ozai in Agni-Kai and is banished. A week later Harry hears about the banishment, and takes two weeks to cross the country to the Imperial Capital. He meets up with Zuko and Iroh.

-A week later they leave for Zuko's banishment. Two years pass; Aang is woken and Zuko begins to follow him.

* * *

 **AN: Next chapter we start to follow the show. Remember, if you have any ideas for things that could take place during the two years between Zuko's banishment and Aang's awakening, tell me in a review or PM. Now I'm going to sleep more, because I'm still horribly jet-lagged.**

 **Review, fav and follow. Love all the support so far.**


	4. Chapters 1 & 2: Beams of Light

**Green Eyes & Fiendfyre**

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 **AN: Back again, with the contents of the first two episodes! This is the first glimpse into how I'll be dealing with the episodes. It's a slower chapter, because there isn't as much 'exciting' things in the first two episodes. I did a complete skip of the years in exile, but there will be extras about it scattered about. I'm planning an interlude later, with a bunch of clips focusing on what might have happened then.**

 **WORD COUNT: Aprox. 3 500**

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CHAPTER 1 – THE BOY IN THE ICEBERG & CHAPTER 2 – THE AVATAR RETURNS

ALTERNATIVELY: BEAMS OF LIGHT NEVER BODE WELL

{ 11 } VOYAGE

Harry yawned, leaning against the railing of the Fire Nation freighter and staring down at the waters passing by below. The sun was barely peaking over the horizon, and Harry let himself have a moment of lazy solitude on the empty deck. He watched his fogging breath drift away on the gentle breeze, and glanced around the blue and white world around him. It was still disconcerting to look around the Southern Pole and see nothing but ice – no trees or rocks. With a sigh Harry settled onto the cold decks (an unfortunate consequence of having metal ships was that _everything_ chilled in these climates) and began to stretch in preparation for his morning exercises. He was up earlier than everyone except the watchman and helmsman, who stayed in the warmth of the control tower. In the silence, broken only by the lapping of the waves and the thrum of the engine, Harry began to run through his stances and sets. As his muscles warmed and he began to sweat, the sun rose steadily. The sound of movement began to fill the ship, but Harry paid it no mind, as the crew members had learned to give him space during his training. The stances were familiar and soothing, and he practiced every set for his combat style with a blank face. He was just winding down when the door to the inner corridors slammed open.

"Good morning!" cried a familiar voice.

Harry sighed, finished his final, sweeping attack with a snap of the wrist and a forward lunge, and said, "Good morning, Iroh."

The retired general gave him a large smile, a cup of tea held in one hand and bowl of steaming soup in the other. He was, as always, in good spirits, and approached Harry as the other sat crossed legged on the deck. He passed the bowl of _miso_ soup to the younger man, who accepted it and said, "Is Zuko up?"

Iroh waved his free hand, taking a sip of his tea before replying, "Of course; you know us firebenders, up with the sun. He was meditating; he should be up soon – ah. There he is now."

The door slammed open once more and Zuko strolled out, his expression as stern as always. Harry had to bite back a sigh. Zuko's banishment had greatly changed him. The child who had once been cheerful and empathetic had become a young man with nothing but anger and his search for honour on his mind. Harry couldn't _blame_ him for it, but seeing the boy who had once been his charge like this made him scowl.

"Uncle, Harry," the sixteen year old greeted them with a nod. "I'm ready for this morning's training session."

Iroh sighed and stared forlornly at his half-full cup of tea, but Harry just grunted around his mouthful of soup. "You can wait a minute, brat; I need to finish my breakfast. Get Iroh to start you off."

The older man sent the retired bodyguard a betrayed look but grudgingly gave into Zuko's insistent stare. Harry watched them get started and wondered when this had become the norm – eating breakfast just as the sun touched the sky, dealing with the troublesome kid who he once called his charge and sailing around the world in search of a myth. The past two years had been nothing but a bizarre adventure. Iroh's influence and contacts had gotten them the small ship they lived on now and its crew, and they had sailed out of the Fire Nation as soon as possible. Harry had been quick to drop his title as Crown Guard, mostly because he had abandoned his orders to teach at Hosonai and was attending to Zuko without permission, but also because they had figured it would be best if no one knew who he was. If the Fire Lord wanted to search for him for shirking his duties and asked around for one Hiroshi, Crown Guard to the Prince, he would not find him. Harry was now just Harry, that man that was somehow on good terms with Iroh and Zuko and had mysteriously showed up with them at the docks. Those comfortable months at the summer palace and then the miserable one at Hosonai were now nothing more than memories, and Harry's life revolved around the Avatar, the one thing he could not find information on.

The new life had taken some adjusting to, but Harry had managed. It hadn't helped that he had been seasick for the first week and a half of their voyage.

Zuko still didn't let him live it down.

{ 12 } BEGINNING

The sign that something was different that day surfaced sometime around noon. It was an uneasy itching at the back of Harry's neck – something he had long ago realized was his magic warning and whispering of change. Ignoring Zuko's shouts as he ran through the kata he had drilled into him, he strode to the bow of the ship and stared at the expanse of ice before him. Iroh noticed the serious expression on his face and came closer. "What's wrong?" he asked.

"Nothing right now, but I feel that something is going to happen later." Harry drummed his fingers on the railing, and Iroh took a moment to close his eyes and extend his senses. "I sense it as well," Iroh said. They exchanged an uneasy glance, but left to do their own things.

It happened several hours later – a beam of bright light shot through the air, and Harry could feel the latent energy in the air building and crackling. The sensation of it, something he had not felt since his time in his home world, made him stumble. Zuko rushed to the prow and peered through his spy glass, his face alight with the closest thing to glee that Harry had seen in a long while.

 _Damn,_ he realized, feeling the old and heavy spiritual signature of the energy. It was the closest to what he had imagined the Avatar's energy would feel like. He rubbed his temple to try and stave off the forming headache.

"Helmsman!" yelled Zuko. "Take us towards the light."

It seemed that it was the beginning of something insane.

{ 13 } TRIBE

The bone-shaking groan of the ship smashing through ice made Harry's teeth rattle, and he nearly fell of his bed. He had retreated to his private chambers to meditate and hopefully rid himself of the headache his whispering magic had given him, and obviously more time had passed than expected. The ship had alighted upon the Water Tribe village. Harry hurried up the stairs to the deck and leaned over the side to watch the confrontation, and nearly swore when he realized that Zuko had just about plowed the ship into the village.

Of all the hot-headed things to do! Did Zuko not know how close he had been to ripping a hole in the ice and sinking the entire village? It was a miracle the ice had not opened up underneath them. He turned away from the railing and hurried towards the prow, where the landing bridge had detached and allowed Zuko and his crew members ashore. He didn't hurry down the ramp, as barging into a hostile situation could only make it worse, and scowled at the sixteen year old on shore. Iroh grunted next to him and said, "It is good there is no one in the village to fight Zuko; as he is now, he would not have the patience to be kind."

Harry watched the aforementioned prince kick the teenager who had rushed up the ramp towards them into the snow and sighed. "The real warriors are off doing raids against the Fire Nation, correct?" It was kind of pitiful – there had to only be twenty or so people in the tribe, and seven of them were children. The only one remotely close to being a 'man' was the boy Zuko had punted, and even then he had to be fourteen or so.

"Yes, though I believe they also left to draw fire away from their families. They were attacked by raiders several years ago and did not take kindly to it." Iroh looked saddened as he always did when speaking of the war. They watched Zuko growl angrily at the villagers, too far to hear what he saying but reading his mood from his body language, and Harry had to pinch the bridge of his nose when the prince yanked forward an old lady.

"Zuko…" Harry said lowly. The prince shook the woman a bit then let her go, and shot a careful blast of flame at the villagers. Harry could tell from his movements that it was calculated not to get close enough to burn them, but the water tribe natives couldn't and recoiled in fear. There was an angry cry as the boy Zuko had knocked aside came charging at him from behind, and Harry ignored the murmurs from the watching crew members. In the Fire Nation, attacking from behind was a dishonorable move when the opponent had followed all the unwritten rules of combat, which Zuko technically had. To see him attacked like that, after dealing with him fairly beforehand, ruffled their feathers. That wasn't how the Water Tribe functioned though – water was a much more flexible element, and to them, any attack from any direction worked.

Zuko was obviously aware of that fact as well, as he was not surprised by the attack and merely threw the boy. He dodged the boomerang thrown and snapped the spear he was charged with ease. Harry rolled his eyes when the returning boomerang smacked the teenager upside the head; they would need to work on Zuko's awareness if he had not sensed it coming.

Then he blinked. Next to him, Iroh began chuckling. "What a way to make an entrance," the retired general said as they watched a young boy knock Zuko off his feet as he slid by on a penguin. The boy brandished a wooden staff at the firebenders that fanned out on either side of him, and with a wave of it sent a gust of air to knock them over.

"You're the airbender?" They heard Zuko exclaim incredulously. "You're the Avatar?"

Harry groaned. "Oh, you've got to be shitting me."

{ 14 } TRICKS

The young Avatar diverted the simple blast of flame Zuko sent his way well enough. Harry had to not approvingly at the tactic Zuko was following – begin with basic strikes to get a read on the opponent and power up as the fight continued. However it quickly became apparent that the Avatar was not interested in a fight when he held out his staff and agreed to surrender. Zuko's crew quickly bound him and took his staff, and they lead him up the landing ramp behind Zuko. "Head a course for the Fire Nation," the prince said as he walked by them. "I'm going home."

 _And if that doesn't jinx it I don't know what will_ , Harry thought with a sigh. The Avatar was led past him, and Harry took the moment to study him. He had to be twelve or so, and had the shaved head and orange and red clothes supposedly typical to the Air Nomads. They only knew that much about them from scrolls and archives, because they had all been killed decades ago – he had not been pleased to learn about that. Zuko paused to gloat over to his captive, high on success, but Harry continued on into the tower. He would not deny that Zuko deserved to enjoy his triumph, because really, he was only sixteen, and he'd just discovered that the hope he'd been chasing wasn't a dead myth. But he was going to have words with him about his decision to ram into the village…

He waited outside Zuko's cabin, which was several hallways over from his own, and the teenager appeared a minute later. Iroh and a sailor followed closely. The sailor hurried to deposit the staff he was carrying in the prince's chambers and excused himself with a quick bow. Zuko, having seen the expression on Harry's face, had stopped outside and waited to hear what his retired bodyguard had to say.

Once the sailor was out of sight, Harry crossed his arms and said, "Congratulations."

Zuko scowled, stiffening and balling his hands into fists. "What do you mean by that? Aren't you happy that we can finally return to the Fire Nation?"

Harry raised his hands in a soothing gesture. "I mean it; it's good that you've fulfilled your duty." _Can't say I'm happy to return to the Fire Nation though…_ "What I'm _not_ happy with is your course of action before apprehending the Avatar - your choice to ram the ship through the ice into their village."

"I checked with the helmsman beforehand; the ship is not damaged. The metal is made to break ice floes like that one."

"I'm not talking about the ship, Zuko. I'm talking about the village. You just tore a hole into their home – do you know how lucky it is that the ice didn't just crack all the way through and sink the whole place? Even now they'll have to move locations – they're unprotected from the ocean. Should a storm arise they would be flooded."

A flush appeared on Zuko's cheeks, but he steadfastly crossed his arms and said, "They're just Water Tribe. None of them were harmed, they should be grateful for that." Then he hurried into his room and shut the door.

Iroh sighed and said, "You two, always butting heads. I need a nap." He wandered off, leaving Harry to his own devices. The man decided it would be best to make his way down to the galley and get himself a snack to help cool his head. It was only a few minutes later that a sailor came running down the corridors calling, "The Avatar has escaped!"

"Fuck," Harry muttered. He gripped his staff and hurried towards the deck to see if he could find the boy, only to jerk back in surprise when an orange clad figure turned the corner. "Gah!" cried the boy, rushing him awkwardly with his hands still tied behind his back. He inhaled deeply to try and knock him aside with a gust, but Harry saw it coming and cut through the gale with a swing of his staff. He focused his magic through the wand within the staff and pictured the pointed tip of a spear. There was a faint pressure on his ears, like the sensation from swimming too deep, as his magic rushed forward and split the air shooting towards him. The Avatar obviously felt it too, as he shook his head dazedly. Harry was only pushed back a few inches by the gust, and took advantage of the boy's distraction to surge forward. He kept his magic and strength restrained, as he knew that if he hit the boy full strength with his magic still crackling he could easily shatter bones. He was quick, for a twelve year old, and ducked and dodged his strikes. Harry mistakenly got too close, and the boy leaped upwards, passing just overhead. He alighted on his shoulders and pushed out a great wind that sent Harry slamming into the ground and the boy shooting down the corridor. Harry's head rung from the impact, and he could feel blood dripping down over his eye from where a cut had opened up from the hard metal floor. "Son of a - " Harry growled, hand cupping his eye as he got to his feet. "Iroh!" He roared as he hurried to the napping general's room. He slammed the door open and shouted, "Up!"

The older man startled awake with a snort, hands up and ready for a fight. Harry ignored the movement, familiar with the habits of battle-honed instincts, as his own made him do the same. "The Avatar's gotten out," he told the man.

"Yes, he really did a number on you," Iroh said calmly, getting to his feet.

"Oh shut up, you were asleep the whole time."

{ 15 } AVATAR

Harry emerged from the inner corridors of the ship in time to see Zuko jump like a madman from the top of the tower and catch a hold of the Avatar before he flew away. The two tumbled to the deck, thankfully not dropping like a rock, and Zuko quickly staggered to his feet. A loud rumble made them all turn and glance behind the ship, and Harry faintly wondered why he was even surprised anymore when he saw a flying white _thing_ coming towards them with the Water Tribe boy and a girl on its back.

Zuko quickly shook off his distraction as the Avatar yelled happily. He sent a rapid series of flames that forced the Avatar to stumble away, and moments later fall into the sea. Harry saw him relax his stance and frowned when a familiar crackling sensation filled the air. He recognized it from the time the beam of light had shot into the air, but this time it was so much more powerful. His head swam as the air hummed with the excited energy, and like a vibration in his bones he felt the Avatar reach within himself and access a vast wealth of power.

"Zuko!" He roared in warning. The prince took his stance immediately, but his face slackened when the Avatar burst from the water. He rode a long snake of water, and his eyes and arrow tattoos glowed. He touched down on the deck, and Harry rushed to try and divert some of the enormous power he felt building. He only managed to siphon off some of it before the Avatar released a wave that swept across the deck. Harry planted his feet and with his staff pointed ahead like a spear he cut the water coming towards him and directed it to pass over his head, leaving him in a small cone of safety. When the water cleared he saw the sailors lying on the deck, Zuko gone from sight, and the Avatar collapsing to the floor.

The flying beast landed with a groan, and the two Water Tribe natives rushed to help their friend. Harry moved to stand next to the sailors who were slowly getting to their feet. "Harry," gasped one of them, obviously surprised to see him standing.

"Up, quickly," he said, moving to stand in front of them as they collected themselves. "Be ready if they attack."

Even as he spoke, the girl turned to them and with flowing movements raised the water on the deck to gather around her. She swung her arms, but Harry could tell by her movements that she was not trained, and mistakenly froze the boy as he rushed past behind her. She quickly turned on her heel and repeated the same movement. For the third time today he swung his staff and directed his magic, pushing aside the freezing water. He got most of it, but some slipped past and froze his legs. The soldiers next to him were also half frozen, though the man on the edge was completely encased.

Growling, he began to chip the ice with his staff. Damn, it appeared he needed to practice his magic more often now. His decision to not expose his magic in this world left him lacking in times to exercise it, and now his control had slipped. He would also have to practice adjusting to high levels of spiritual energy again – being a world where it was found so sparingly left his senses reeling when it did show itself.

Zuko and Iroh, who had emerged from the lower decks only moments ago, ran through a partner stance together and sent a large fireball at the flying beast. The Avatar, having regained consciousness, deflected it with a powerful swing into the ice floe next to them. An avalanche of ice and snow showered down onto the ship, burying the prow and leaving them motionless. The Avatar and his cohorts flew out of sight a moment later.

Iroh got to his feet, and as usual tried to put a positive spin on the moment. "Good news for the Fire Lord," he said. "The Fire Nation's greatest threat is just a little kid."

"That kid, Uncle, just did this." Zuko's voice was venomous as he gestured around him. "I won't underestimate him again."

 _I second that_ , Harry thought grimly as more soldiers rushed forth to help free them from the ice. The Avatar seemed to be the ultimate source of trouble, and unfortunately, it seemed that Zuko had every intention of chasing it across the world. Oh boy.

* * *

 **AN: It's a short chapter, sorry, but I could only stretch the episodes so far. It's a slow beginning for Zuko. Things will become more interesting farther into the series; I can't wait until I start the second season - there's so much material to work with there. I'm currently only in the middle of writing episode 12, The Storm, which is being stubborn.**

 **A quick notice: I will mainly be writing episodes with Zuko in it, or where he is directly related. As an example, I will not be writing for episode 11, The Great Divide, because Zuko does not appear, and it has no relation to him or Harry in any way. I might do a little extra for it, but not a full chapter. If something happens in an episode that doesn't have Zuko in it, but I think it might affect him anyway, I'll do something for it. Like for chapter 10, Jet, Zuko doesn't actually show up in the episode, but I wrote a chapter on it because I could link it to Zuko (which you will see later).**

 **Someone asked about the { number } WORD thing I do. The number is simply the number for the clip; I mainly use it for organization, and it makes it interesting. The word can be considered to be the 'focus' or 'prompt' for the clip; it's related in someway to the content. Also when I say CHAPTER and the number, I'm referring to the episodes, not the actual chapter number.**

 **Review and tell me your comments and questions. Feel free to give me ideas for future chapters concerning any of your favorite episodes. Hope you enjoyed.**


	5. Chapter 3: Zhao's Plot

**Green Eyes & Fiendfyre**

* * *

 **WORD COUNT: Aprox. 4 200**

* * *

CHAPTER 3 – THE SOUTHERN AIR TEMPLE

ALTERNATIVELY: ZHAO'S PLOT

{ 16 } REPAIRS

They managed to limp their way to the nearest Fire Nation colony docks in their injured ship for repairs. When they landed it was midday, and the sailors hurried about to refill their supplies and find the ship builders to get their hull fixed. Harry accompanied Zuko and Iroh ashore, dressed as usual and carrying his staff. He still randomly got headaches from when he'd smashed his head against the floor facing the Avatar, but his wound had healed and he could finally go out into the midday sun without worrying about the bright light sending pain lancing through his eyes. Zuko had been a little concerned about his retired bodyguard, as he had never gotten a head injury as serious as Harry's before, and seeing the normally waspish man lying in bed and doing nothing more than sleep and eat for the first few days had made him uneasy. Of course the prince had done his best to hide it, but Harry had known the kid for years now, and as soon as he was feeling better he was smirking and teasing him about it.

Now he enjoyed the bright light and listened to Zuko fuss at Iroh. "Uncle, I want the repairs made as quickly as possible. I don't want to stay too long and risk losing his trail."

"You mean the Avatar."

Zuko turned and snarled at the startled general. "Don't mention his name on these docks! Once word gets out that he's alive, every fire bender will be out looking for him, and I don't want anyone getting in the way."

"Getting in the way of what, Prince Zuko?"

The three of them turned, and Harry had to bite back an annoyed groan when he saw who was approaching. Zuko shared the same sentiment, as he crossed his arms and said flatly, "Captain Zhao."

"It's Commander now," the man said, bowing slightly. He had the same devious look on his face and dark beard and hair as the last time Harry had seen him. "And General Iroh, great hero of our nation." Iroh bowed back and said gently, "Retired general."

Zhao turned an appraising eye towards Harry, and the retired bodyguard was gratified the man at least partially remembered him from the last time they'd met. "The mysterious Hari," he said, stumbling over the name as most people did. The only reason Zuko and Iroh got it right was because they'd been saying it for years, and Harry had been there to berate them every time they said it wrong.

Now Harry just twitched but smiled, letting his inner Slytherin come forth. "Cap – I mean, Commander Zhao. How nice to see you." Contrary to his words he didn't bow as one normally did in greeting to one of higher status, and he could see how it annoyed Zhao. The other man scowled at him and turned his gaze towards Zuko and Iroh, who had been watching the interaction with amusement.

"The Fire Lord's son and brother are welcome guests any time. What brings you to my harbor?" He asked.

"Our ship is being repaired," Iroh said somewhat bluntly, gesturing to the vessel behind them. The poor thing was battered and scratched.

Zhao observed the ship and stated the obvious by saying, "That's quite a bit of damage."

"Yes, you wouldn't believe what happened," Zuko said hurriedly, trying to steer the conversation into their control. Harry winced when he said that, because now they actually had to come up with a story as to what happened. Zuko realized his mistake a moment later, because he continued, "Uncle, tell Commander Zhao what happened!"

Harry saw Iroh's face twist slightly in panic, but the old man quickly recovered and said, "Yes, I will do that. It was incredible - " He paused and muttered, "What, did we crash or something?"

"Yes," Harry said from behind them, overriding anything Zuko might have been about to say. A prince and fighter Zuko might have been, but a good liar he was _not_. The two jumped, just remembering he was there, and let him continue. "We were sailing farther south when a squall appeared; you know how the air currents are where it's cooler. It was raining quite hard, and we were occupied with keeping the bearings straight and everything below deck in place, so we did not noticed a handful of rock spires ahead. We had several run-ins with them."

"Really?" Zhao's tone was disbelieving, but Harry didn't blame him. "You must regale me with all the thrilling details. Join me for a drink?" He leaned forward with a smirk.

 _What a creep_ ¸ Harry thought. Zuko turned aside with a low, "Sorry, but we have to go." Iroh, however, put a hand on his shoulder and said, "Prince Zuko, show Commander Zhao your respect. We would be honoured to join you. Do you have any Ginseng tea?" The older man strolled past the commander as he spoke, leaving Harry and Zuko staring disbelievingly. The teenager growled and stormed after his uncle with a flash of fire. Harry sighed through his nose and hurried to catch up, flatly telling Zhao, " _Sake_ would be greatly appreciated."

{ 17 } DISCUSSIONS

Zhao's command tent was dimly lit, and the incense burning in the corner was giving Harry a headache. The sickly sweet smell was bringing back the ringing in his ears from his head wound, and he grumpily downed the saucer of _sake_ he held in hand. They had been there for just over an hour now, and Harry's patience was running short.

He was seated in a stiff wooden chair off to the side, staff leaning against the back and a small table nearby holding the tall bottle of warmed _sake_ he'd been presented with earlier. Zhao was pacing around the room, ranting about the prowess of the Fire Nation army, and Zuko was settled in a chair in the centre of the tent, looking bored. Iroh was wandering and examining everything in the room as a way to alleviate his boredom. Harry could feel the amusement rolling off of the guards standing next to the tent entrance, and scowled at them. God, he just wanted to _go_.

"..and by year's end, the Earth Kingdom capital will be under our rule. The Fire Lord will finally claim victory in this war." Zhao was saying, standing in front of the large map of the kingdoms spread out at the back of tent.

Zuko scowled and said, "If my father thinks the rest of the world will follow him willingly, then he is a fool." Harry had to nod at that piece of wisdom, glad that some of his and Iroh's teachings had managed to lodge themselves in the prince's mind.

Zhao didn't agree if the grin he levelled Zuko's way as he sat down next to him meant anything. "Two years at sea have done little to temper your tongue. So, how's your search for the Avatar going?"

There was a crash as Iroh knocked over a set of pikes and poleaxes to the floor, and the old man hurriedly said, "My fault entirely." Harry recognized it as a ploy to distract Zhao from his questions, but the commander didn't buy it and turned back to Zuko.

"We haven't found him yet," said the teenager.

"Did you really expect to?" Zhao said disdainfully. "The Avatar died a hundred years ago, along with the rest of the airbenders." At Zuko's pause, he grinned menacingly, "Unless you found some evidence that the Avatar's alive?"

"No," Zuko said, managing to sound convincing. "Nothing."

"Prince Zuko, the Avatar is the only one who can stop the Fire Nation from winning this war. If you have an ounce of loyalty left, you'll tell me what you found." Zhao paced around Zuko as he spoke condescendingly.

"I haven't found _anything_ ," Zuko said with more force this time, meeting Zhao's gaze head on. "It's like you said," he mocked, "the Avatar probably died a long time ago." He stood, brushing past Zhao. "Come on, Uncle, Harry; we're going."

Harry stood, snatching up the bottle of _sake_ , but stopped when the guards at the tent entrance brought their poleaxes down and blocked Zuko's way. A man hurriedly entered the tent and said, "Commander Zhao, we've interrogated the crew as you instructed. They've confirmed that Prince Zuko had the Avatar in custody, but let him escape."

 _Damn_ , Harry thought, closing his eyes. There went their easy out.

{ 18 } ZHAO

Harry was _this_ close to getting up and smashing Zhao's face in, regardless of the consequences that might follow. The commander was berating Zuko for failing, his tone full of contempt, and Harry snidely wondered if Zhao even understood the concept of what the Avatar was. First of all, an _airbender_ , whose style of bending had not been seen for a hundred years and therefore no one knew how to fight against, and whose aim was not battle but only escape. Second, the Avatar – as in the ability to access the normally untouchable power of the spirit realm. Zhao was a fool if he really thought he and his crew could have done any better.

"I underestimated him once," Zuko was saying, anger obvious in his tone, "but it won't happen again."

"No it will _not_ ," Zhao said. "Because you won't have a second chance."

"Commander Zhao, I've been hunting the Avatar for two years!"

"And you failed!" Zhao roared. Harry half-rose out of his seat when he let loose a wave of fire, but it was a simple motion of anger, and the bodyguard could only narrow his eyes at the other man. "Capturing the Avatar is too important to leave in a teenager's hands. He's mine now." He said, leaning over Zuko.

Zuko lunged forward with a snarl, but the guards behind him quickly held him back. Zhao turned away with a flat, "Keep them here," and left the tent. In a fit of anger Zuko kicked over the table holding Iroh's tea, and Harry was glad he had held onto his _sake_.

"More tea please," Iroh said, collected as always. The guards hesitated for a moment, still holding Zuko in place, but released him when Harry snapped, "Enough; do as Iroh says." His voice, layered with the steel of a commander from his days in the war, sent them scrambling. Zuko sat back down with a growl and proceeded to sulk, leaving Harry and Iroh to wait in silence.

Almost an hour later Zhao entered the tent once more. "My search party is ready," he declared. "Once I'm out to sea, my guards will escort you back to your ship and you'll be free to go."

"Why?" said Zuko. Harry nearly groaned when he heard the challenge in his voice. "Are you worried I'm going to try and stop you?"

Zhao's laugh set Harry's nerves on edge, and he grit his teeth as the man said, "You? Stop me? Impossible."

Uh-oh. If that wasn't a challenge then Harry didn't know what was. Zuko, predictably, didn't take kindly to it and rushed to his feet. "Don't underestimate me Zhao; I will capture the Avatar before you."

"Prince Zuko, that's enough!" Iroh said, also getting to his feet. Harry followed with a sigh, a little disappointed that he hadn't been able to finish his _sake_ but more than ready for a bit of action after all that sitting around.

"You can't compete with me," Zhao gloated. "I have a hundred warships under my command, and you – you're just a banished prince. No home, no allies; your own father doesn't even want you."

"You're wrong! Once I deliver the Avatar to my father, he will welcome me home with honour, and restore my rightful place on the throne."

"If your father really wanted you home, he would have let you return by now, Avatar or no Avatar. But in his eyes you are a failure, and a disgrace to the Fire Nation."

"That's not true," Zuko said, temper rapidly growing.

"Oh, but you have the scar to prove it."

"Rah! Maybe you'd like one to match," Zuko snarled, leaning forward to glare at Zhao from inches away.

"Is that a challenge?"

"An Agni Kai, at sunset."

"Very well." Zhao stepped back, a cruel smirk on his face. "It's a shame your father won't be here to watch me humiliate you, little prince - " The end of Harry's staff jingled slightly as it was levelled, quick as lightning, at Zhao face. The commander stared down the weapon, surprised, at the cold-eyed man on the other end.

"Watch your mouth," Harry said, his icy tone making the hairs on the back of Zhao's neck stand on end. The man sneered and brushed past him, leaving the three alone in the tent.

"Prince Zuko," Iroh said, concerned, "do you remember the last time you dueled a master?"

Zuko grimaced. "I will never forget," he said, voice hard.

 _That won't be a problem,_ Harry thought grimly. He wouldn't let something like that happen again.

{ 19 } DUEL

Harry watched Zuko prepare himself for the Agni Kai. Someone had brought his dueling clothes from the ship, and the teenager had changed into the dark red pants and black shin guards immediately. Iroh was tying the customary braided rope arm bands around his nephew's biceps, while Zuko sat in front of the candles Harry had fetched him. In his meditation the candle flames rose and fell with his every breath, and Harry could see tension easing out of the young man.

"What do you know about Zhao?" Zuko said suddenly, opening his eyes and staring at his uncle.

"Zhao is very firm," the retired general said a moment later. "He likes to keep himself planted, so he will not use many aerial katas. He prefers solid attacks, so you most likely not see very many spear hands. He receives attacks head on and will disperse them instead of divert or cut them (5). Remember Zuko, he may have more experience, but I would like to think you have had a wider sphere of influence in your teachings." Iroh finished tying off the armband and sat back, regarding his nephew. "You are a smart fighter – think, and do not lose your head."

Harry hummed from where he seated, and the two firebenders turned to regard him at the sound. "If he does fight like you described, then the use of the seventeenth through twenty-first katas I taught you should be useful."

Zuko looked startled, and then thoughtful as he considered the proposal. "The _jiu-jistu (6)_?" he asked.

"Yes, just make sure you keep distance even during your movements and takedowns. We all know that distance is crucial in firebending fights." Harry stood and set aside his staff, motioning for Zuko to stand as well. He settled into his fighting stance and Zuko followed. "To make proper use of the stances and not interrupt the flow of your usual style, do not hesitate. Keep your upper body firm but your shoulders loose, and well as a firm leg stance. I think Iroh has told you enough times not to lose your root." Zuko nodded, watching as Harry stepped forward so that they were just past two arm's lengths away from each other. It was the closest one could get in a firebending match and still be in the 'comfortable' zone, where one had enough time to disperse an attack sent towards them. "Now, let's run through the stances once more." Zuko nodded, eyes dark with concentration, and began.

Hours later the sun was descending towards the horizon and Harry found himself striding along behind Zuko and Iroh. They were walking in silence towards the large Agni Kai arena – Harry was a little bemused that in the docks the handful of actual, _permanent_ buildings included a dueling area instead of a command office. Harry had gone back to the ship to inform the crew of what was happening, and he had spotted the ship's doctor subtly making up a bed for Zuko after the discussion. Harry doubted Zuko would need it – the young man had a determination and will that greatly outclassed Zhao's. All that hung in the balance was if Zuko could keep his head.

Zhao was already at the other side of the arena, kneeling before the five guards acting as his witnesses. Iroh went with Zuko to exchange some last minute advice while Harry stayed out of the way. A moment later the two duelers got to their feet and shed the ceremonial vests. Harry met Zuko's eyes and nodded once, pleased when he got a calm nod in return. The two turned to face each other, and the fight began.

As usual the battle remained at a firebender's preferred distance – just over ten feet away. Zuko started off with several strong shots that Zhao stepped around and dispersed. Harry frowned when he noticed the prince getting riled up, looking far too overexcited for the beginning of the duel. Thankfully, his bending was not suffering for it, as he flowed through several kicks without pause, but the harsh tension made him uneasy. Zhao took several firm steps forward, and the fire at his hands glowed white hot in response to his well-grounded stance.

"Basics, Zuko! Break his root!" Iroh yelled. Zhao smirked at the comment and stepped forward, a strong punch bringing forth a tongue of flame that Zuko was forced to cut through and sweep aside. The flowing motion, called _shedding fire_ (7), was something Iroh had taught him, and was excellent for shaking off a powerful attack that couldn't be dodged. Unfortunately it forced Zuko back several inches, and even that little bit of give in his stance affected the fight. Zhao shot a burst of flame that finally shook Zuko off his feet.

"Up, Zuko!" Harry yelled as Zhao surged forward. The older man stood over the prince, about to deliver the final blow, when Zuko rallied himself and with a roar perfectly executed one of the last-ditch escape maneuvers Harry had taught him months ago. Harry barred his teeth as glee rushed through him, and Zhao fell to his knees with a thud. Zuko landed firmly, and with a smirk began to force the stumbling commander back. Side-step by side-step he forced fire to lap at the older man's feet and with a harsh kick knocked him over.

"Do it," Zhao said to the young man standing over him. With a snarl Zuko shot off a burst of flame, but it only turned the ground next Zhao's face into smoldering embers. "That's it? Your father raised a coward." The commander said, mocking even in the face of defeat.

"Next time you get in my way I promise I won't hold back," Zuko told him, not rising to the bait, and turned to walk away.

There was a familiar itch at the back of his neck, and Harry moved forward with a sigh. Honestly, why couldn't people just suck it up and accept the fact that they had been beat? When Zhao got up and shot a blast of fire towards Zuko, Harry was ready. To the eyes of the crowd he appeared suddenly. He looped his ring of his staff around the man's foot just as he finished his fire, and twisted. The flame went wide, crackling across the floor, leaving only the slightest flickers to lap at Harry's coat. Zhao had to roll with the motion of the rotation or risk having his knee shattered and fell the floor in a tangled heap.

"What?" he gasped, staring up at the man who stood over him. The end of his staff glowed white hot from the flames and sparks still floated about his lazily. In that moment, Zhao had never seen Harry look more dangerous.

Zuko went to charge the man but Iroh quickly stopped him. "No, Prince Zuko; do not taint your victory." The retired general turned and looked down at the fallen man, disdain on his face. "So this is how the great Commander Zhao acts in defeat? Disgraceful. Even in exile, my nephew is more honorable than you." Iroh turned to leave and said flatly, "Thanks again for the tea. It was delicious."

They exited the arena and made for the docks. Harry could feel Zhao's burning stare on their backs, but he ignored the defeated man. Now that he knew his character, Harry knew how to deal with Zhao – he had faced many like him before.

{ 20 } DEPARTURE

The repairs were finished in three days, and in that entire length of time Zhao had not shown his face. The crew had been pleasantly surprised when they'd been told of Zuko's victory, and Harry had seen the ship's doctor covertly putting back the medicines he had taken out to treat the prince. Iroh and Harry said nothing about the Zhao's dishonorable actions at the end of the duel, and neither did Zuko. That was something for the crew to find out for themselves. Supplies were replenished, and Harry saw to buying the things necessary for Iroh and Zuko. The two royals were too well known, and if they bought anything specialised – like a new style of throwing knives or scrolls depicting the local firebending style – then it would be immediately noted. But if some middle-aged man from the crew did so, then it could easily be for the armory or the entire crew.

No one knew Harry's face, and he was fine with that. He would not say he _missed_ his notoriousness, but it was both a good and bad thing that it was not present in this world. People would not recognize him on sight, but neither would they bend to his will at the mere mention of his name.

"You're charging twenty copper pieces for that? It's nearly a piece of junk! Twelve copper pieces for the two of them or nothing!" Leaning in over a crew mate's shoulder, he scowled down at the vendor trying to scam them out of their money for two slightly scuffed frying pans. The frail man quailed at his impressive glower and with little more than a few quiet complaints handed over the pots in exchange for the money.

"Th-thanks," said the sailor, embarrassed that he'd nearly been conned. Harry clapped him on the shoulder, giving him a brief smile. "Don't worry about it; you haven't been in many of these local markets before. These hags have an eye for picking out the unexperienced."

The man smiled and scurried off to take the scuffed pots back to the ship. They could be easily reheated and reformed with the help of a firebender, so they didn't have to waste money on brand new ones. Because of that they could spend money on the real important stuff, like booze.

"Now where is that _sake_ house, I saw it yesterday," he muttered, wandering the streets in search of it. There wasn't much commerce in this area, as it was mostly a military colony, but every place with people had some form of alcohol (especially ones with military). He had just spotted it down the narrow street when a familiar aura presented itself, and a firm shoulder bumped roughly into his.

"Hari," Zhao's cold voice said from behind him. "What a surprise."

Harry turned and casually leaned on his staff, smirking right into the other man's face. "Zhao; I'm surprised you're out and about. I would have thought you'd be staying in your tent, hiding from your," he lowered his voice, " _disgraceful_ actions."

Zhao gritted his teeth, but held himself back. A crowded street was not the best place to start something. Even if he did, he wasn't sure if it was for the best – Hari had thrown him to the ground with the ease of an experienced fighter, and there was still the question of how he'd managed to not be the least bit singed from his attack when he _knew_ Hari was not a firebender. Well, at least he had the tidbit of information he'd found out from his contacts in the capital…

"I would do nothing of the kind, Hari. You, however, I'm not so sure about."

"Hmm? What do you mean?" Looking up from where he picking lint from his sleeves, he sent an innocently curious look at the commander.

"I mean that you would go about under a false name. Isn't that right, _Hiroshi_." Zhao grinned smugly as he spat out the name he'd been told, gratified to the see the man before him frown. So the information was somewhat true – Hari, or rather Hiroshi, did have some kind of connection with the prince back in the capital. He still did not know what exactly, but he was leaning towards a scholar or martial arts teacher, as he knew the man was fond of children and had obviously known Zuko for years.

"Haven't I told people I don't want to be called that?" Harry shrugged and ran a hand through his hair. He turned to walk away and idly jingled his staff. "Ma, whatever. A name is just a name. You take care of yourself. Just don't dig too deep into things unknown." He paused and glanced back over his shoulder, eyes glowing eerily. "You might get burned."

Unease coiling in his gut, Zhao watched the man make his way to the _sake_ house, humming. Plans for the Avatar or not, some parts of him were grateful Zuko, and by consequence Hiroshi, were leaving soon.

* * *

NOTES:(5) Observations made from the fight in the episode. (6) Based off of Brazilian jiu-jistu

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 **AN: So there's the next chapter. Some people were asking about whether this would follow the original plot line of ATLA - my only answer is 'kind of'. I don't plan on being word for word, scene for scene for all of the series, but I'm going follow the general outline. Harry will break away from Zuko on occasion and he will do his own thing, but I don't plan on creating a whole new ending for the series. With these kind of things, I don't like to try and plot out every little thing I'm going to do for the entire series - I'm focusing on Season 1 right now. For the majority of the first season it's going to follow the episodes pretty closely, but once shit starts to go down, I will have more flex room. My first major split will be around episodes 15-17 or so, when they visit the Northern Water Tribe. If you aren't willing to even give this fic a chance, or do and decide you don't like it, then that's fine. Just do so nicely.**

 **Anyway, thanks for reading. I love all the support; you guys make my day. Favorite, follow, leave a review to let me know what you think or ask any questions!**


	6. Chapter 4: The Island of Fans & Serpents

**Green Eyes & Fiendfyre**

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 **Word Count: 3 300**

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CHAPTER 4 – THE WARRIORS OF KYOSHI

ALTERNATIVELY: THE ISLAND OF FANS AND SEA-SERPENTS

{ 21 } MEALS

The news of the Avatar's whereabouts came after six frustrating days of hearing of sightings all around the globe. No doubt having a flying means of transportation made for quicker travelling, as they had no chance of catching up with the Avatar's random appearances in their little steam powered ship. Zuko had been irritable the entire time, despite his efforts to remain calm and 'at peace.' Harry was just thankful that it hadn't taken longer for word to reach them that the Avatar had been sighted on Kyoshi Island.

The overly-talkative sailor who had been talked into serving the dinner platters in the prince's chambers looked startled when Zuko leapt to his feet at his idle words. Harry could only sigh and wish for a moment that he could have just a handful of minutes to finish his meal and _sake_ while they were still warm.

"The Avatar's on Kyoshi Island?" Zuko said, excitement making his body tense. "Uncle, ready the rhinos. Harry, make sure the landing party is prepared. He's not getting away from me this time." The young prince stormed for the door, leaving Harry to pick morosely at the fish he knew he wouldn't be able to finish and Iroh to eye Zuko's steaming platter.

"Are you going to finish that?" He asked. His nephew turned and snatched the plate up, snapping, "I was going to save it for later!"

Iroh pouted as Zuko disappeared from sight, and Harry sighed into his _sake_ saucer. "At least he is more excitable nowadays," he said honestly. "Not as cold and hopeless as before."

"Yes, it is good to see my nephew's passion return; such a thing is only healthy. But would it not be better it waited until after meal times?" Iroh began to pick the final, lonely grains of rice from his plate and eyed the slightly younger man sitting across from him. "Speaking of healthy habits, you have become quite fond of _sake_ as of late."

Harry grimaced and idly swirled the bottle of alcohol. "Yes, I have been having more than I should, but it's no reason to be worried. It will not get out of control." Not to mention that his magic was more than enough to burn it out of his system before it lingered too long, hence why he drank more. He had seen what an addiction to alcohol could do to a man, and he would never let it get that far.

"Are you certain? Because if you ever feel uncertain, I will be most honoured to take it all and create a wonderful bonfire on the decks to help free yourself - "

"Shut the fuck up, old man." Man, people who cared could be such _nags_.

{ 22 } KYOSHI

Kyoshi Island would been the perfect place for a relaxing resort if it weren't for the terrifying sea-serpent thrashing about in the main bay. It seemed content to ignore their little ship, which Zuko was grateful for, because the creature was enormous and could probably drag them down to the depths in minutes. They landed within minutes. The prince sat astride the komodo-rhino mounts they'd brought on board at the last port, fully armoured and clutching his spear. He hear his men moving about in the dimly lit boarding bay – the creak of armor, the rustle of the harnesses and the clank of weapons were familiar sounds.

Harry was a comforting presence on his own mount at his side. The older man had decided to accompany the ground party while Iroh stayed on board. Zuko knew it was to offer support to him and his soldiers against the highly-skilled Kyoshi warriors. Harry had more hand-to-hand experience against non-benders of any nation than anyone on board, as far as he knew, so his decision to come had eased everyone's minds.

Harry liked to claim he was just looking for a good fight, and while Zuko didn't doubt it (the man was always more thrilled by battle than he liked to admit), he also knew that he liked to be there _just in case_.

Zuko knew he was a softie at heart.

Bright light flooded the boarding bay, and Zuko urged his komodo-rhino onto firm ground, focusing his mind on the task before him. "I want the Avatar alive," he told his men as they rode out. They nodded back and they made their way down the long road to the town. Moving between the snowy hills, they passed through the tall gate to the village and the statue depicting the late Avatar Kyoshi. Zuko ignored it and came to a stop at the main road.

"Come out Avatar! You can't hide from me forever." He called into the silent village. He saw hints of movement here or there, but it had the uncoordinated panicked edge to it that only belonged to civilians and he paid it no mind. "Find him," he commanded, eyes flickering about alertly.

He watched his men fan out, Harry taking the lead with his gaze constantly roving the landscape and his staff at the ready. An uneasy prickling from his instincts told him there was movement in the town – and moments later, dark-robed figures dropped from the rooftops and blindsided his men.

Zuko recognized their green uniform and face paint of the Kyoshi Warriors. With efficient movements they ripped most of his men from their saddles. Out of the corner of his eye he saw Harry stave off an attack with his long brass staff, and drop to the ground to match their opponents, hand to hand. A blur of movement marked an exchange of blows, but he had to look away when a figure rushed him, glinting fans held aloft. He sent several blasts of fire but the painted lady nimbly dodged them all. He saw his chance when the woman went to attack from above; he knocked her aside with a swipe of his komodo-rhino's tail and shot a flame at her fallen form, but a familiar warrior interfered.

He stared, bemused, at the Water Tribe boy decked out in the green armor and face paint, then shook his head. Whatever he was interested in was of no consequence to the Fire Nation. Not his business…

Suddenly a body slammed him from his saddle and he was knocked onto a house porch. _Damnit, that hurt._ Biting back a pained groan, he focused on his opponents and sent the three of them flying with a quick tornado kick. Stepping over their groaning bodies, he paced out into the empty street. "Nice try, Avatar, but these little girls can't save you!"

{ 23 } FANS

Harry was enjoying himself. It was the first time in years that he'd had the opportunity to go into unarmed combat against well-trained opponents without having to worry that he might blow his cover. Back at the palace he had been unable to use his full power in case it caused Ozai to ask unwanted questions, and on the ship the soldiers could only take so much. He was pleased to be able to say that his skills hadn't deteriorated over time – and that the Kyoshi warriors were no match for him. He didn't kill any of them, or even badly wound them, as they were all young and only protecting their town. They did have a firm foundation and were familiar with their movements; their style, somewhat reminiscent of the aikido of his home world, made for an interesting battle. They tried to manipulate his movements and twist the flow of combat in their favour, but they were much too inexperienced to succeed. There was potential, and in time they would be formidable even to him, but at the moment all they could do was rush him and be blown away.

When he heard the sound of a gale wind and a crash, he stepped over their aching bodies and left them to tend to each other. He, unsurprisingly, found Zuko pulling himself out of the wreck of a house. The prince was mostly unscathed, though he no doubt had several splinters and would have a massive bruise later that day, and Harry watched him get to his feet calculatingly. No broken bones from the way he moved and no concussion (surprisingly) by the look of his pupils.

"I'm guessing it was the Avatar that sent you flying?" he said, knowing that the Kyoshi warriors weren't quite skilled enough to challenge Zuko.

"It was those blasted fans," the prince growled. "And stop grinning like that; it makes you look like an idiot."

Harry waved a hand and obligingly hid his smile at the grumpy reply, and turned to help the remaining soldiers against their opponents. Zuko followed, angrily sending off bursts of fire to push back the women, and they collected their men in the centre of the road.

There was a groan as the Avatar's bison flew overhead, making for the main bay and then out to sea, and Zuko immediately turned to follow. "Back to the ship! Don't lose sight of them!"

They leapt atop their komodo-rhinos and hurried down the main road. They emerged just in time to see the enormous head of the Unagi rear up into the sky with a shadowed figure on its forehead, and spray water over the town.

Harry felt the water droplets work their way into the creases of his robes, and groaned. Getting water out of his robes was always a pain; at least he wasn't wearing armor. The pitter-patter of rain falling onto the shoulder plates and helmets of the men sitting behind him brought him back to the times when _he_ had gotten stuck wearing armor in the rain. Not fun.

Especially considering the water was barfed up by a sea serpent.

They boarded the ship and the sailors quickly rushed to strip the komodo-rhinos of their harnesses before they could become irritated by the wet leather. Soldiers were dismissed with a wave of Zuko's hand, and Harry followed the teenager towards their chambers, amusedly listening to his armor creak with every step he took.

"Damnit," Zuko growled, slamming open the door to his rooms. Harry stepped in and calmly closed the door behind him. Zuko's helmet bounced off the wall next to him with a loud clang – Zuko's throwing arm had obviously not weakened over the years. He caught it, set it on the armor stand in the corner and approached the teenager who was sitting on a stool, fuming. "Why does he always get away?"

"Because you're hunting him," Harry said simply, reaching out and undoing the armor clasps that Zuko could not reach. "That's how shit works, Zuko. You run when something's chasing you."

"I know! I know. But it's not like the turtle-duck being hunted by the boar-cat – I need him for my _honor_. I need him for my people." Zuko buried his face in his hands and let out a deep sigh, shoulders sagging under the weight no young person should have to bear.

Harry was familiar with that weight, but he was also familiar with the hunt. All those days, thinking of the war and his duty as the _saviour_ , and running through the woods with the snatchers at his heels – he would never forget them, and the memories would never leave him.

So he simply rested a hand on Zuko's shoulder, and gave the teenager a moment to collect himself.

{ 24 } GINGER

They swiftly left Kyoshi Island behind. Back in the familiar territory of the open, endless sea, Harry didn't have to worry about the Avatar or such things – Zuko fussed enough for all of them. But an uncommon and unfortunate problem _had_ arisen. More specifically, that of a mundane variety.

A strain of the flu had emerged on the ship, and unsurprisingly a handful of people had fallen ill. On a ship, where everything was crammed into close quarters, sickness spread quickly. This time, however, it was much worse, as the ship's cook had been confined to bed after he fainted in the middle of preparing a stir-fry. In result –

"What," Zuko said, poking at the charred, unrecognizable lump on the plate before him, "is this."

\- the food quickly became inedible.

"It smells somewhat like arctic cod and gin-rice," Iroh said, carefully examining the remains that were also on his plate. "Which is strange, because I am certain we have no arctic cod on board, and we did not buy gin-rice at the last harbor."

Harry hadn't even bothered to look over the meal presented to him and just pushed it away. The sailor who had brought the plates looked just as miserable as the three of them. He shrugged, saying, "I'm sorry, sirs; they've just been rotating crew members through the kitchen, looking for a suitable replacement. Obviously, they have yet to find one."

Well, if he was stuck eating something that may very well end his life because no one on board seemed to know how to cook, besides the man laid out in the infirmary, then Harry couldn't just stay sitting and let it happen. Standing, he handed his staff to Iroh and told the startled sailor, "Take me to the kitchens."

He heard Zuko and Iroh making confused noises behind him, but he ignored them and followed his guide into the galley. There he eyed the three men fumbling with the pots and stoves, so obviously inept that it almost hurt, and pointed to the door. "Out," he said icily.

Two hours later, with the aid of a few reluctant soldiers who were at least competent enough to cook rice and peel potatoes, several platters of baked salmon, white rice and baked potato cubes were presented to the ship. They were devoured in minutes, and Harry could only sigh when a mess hall full of hopeful faces turned his way, hungry stomachs rumbling in the background.

He was on his feet until another two hours passed, and when the kitchen was finally cleaned and the hungry sailors were sated, Harry happily collapsed onto his bed. Seated at the low table across the room, Iroh chuckled. Zuko was seated next to him, diligently reading reports as he always did every evening.

"Who would have known that the ever-irritable Harry knows how to cook?" Iroh grinned into his tea at the younger man on who was purposefully ignoring the two of them. "Underneath that gruff exterior there is hope – all we must do is find you a nice young lady who enjoys a nice stew - "

Harry's snarl and Zuko's choked noise of surprise made him burst out laughing. Next to him Zuko pinched the bridge of nose, looking like he very much wanted forget the thought of his ex-bodyguard ever getting _cozy_ with someone, and Harry rolled over enough to send the retired general a very rude hand-gesture.

As if he would let Harry get off _that_ easily. Stroking his beard, Iroh said, "Though I must request that next time you use a little more ginger with the salmon - "

"Shut _up_ , Iroh!"

{ 25 } NIGHTS

It was late, and Zuko was decidedly feeling the effects of the sun's absence. While Fire Nation natives and more noticeably firebenders weren't incapacitated by the arrival of night, their power and energy lessened, and their tempers shortened. In result Zuko's walk through the ship's corridors was both quiet and tired.

He couldn't sleep, obviously, but he felt too restless to remain in his room and think like he usually did. Sometimes he would get this uneasy rumble in his chest, like his inner fire was growing hotter and shaking within him; he felt that staying in the solemn silence would lead to unwelcome thoughts surfacing, so he would pace the halls or seek out the company of Iroh or Harry until it passed.

Iroh was deeply asleep; he had spent the day going over stances and katas with the crew and so his inner fire was tired, and needed the night to grow once more. Zuko wouldn't bother him with something as trivial as his worries, so Harry was who he sought out that night. The ex-bodyguard's room was a hallway away from his own – a strategic distance between the three most powerful people's rooms with several convenient store rooms between that housed dried food, well-hidden weapons and a mass of emergency bedding. In the event of an attack on the ship and the crew could not escape, they would amass in those rooms, where the three of them fight off any intruders.

He popped open the door to Harry's chambers as quietly as he could, not knocking as sound _rang_ in metal ships and could easily bother someone several doors down. The man he considered to be just as close to him as his uncle was lying still on the low cot, thin blankets pulled to his armpits and arms over the covers. He was facing away from the door, staff leaning against the wall within arm's reach. There was not the usual Fire Nation banner hung over the bed, but Zuko had had years to grow used to Harry's quirks – his strange opinion on their nation included. Zuko tried not to think about it – he was their _prince_ , it was his _land_ , what did it mean when one of his people did not honour their home? – and left the man to his preferences as Harry had left him to his, all those years ago in the gardens of the summer palace.

\- _past exclamations of "The prince should not care for a simple turtle-duck; it cannot fight for itself, so suffering shall be its fate," and then this strange, new man's simple shrug and, "If you want to help it, then do so." –_

He shook off memories and took a step into the rooms. Immediately Harry sat up, one hand reaching for his staff and the other slipping to grab for the dagger beneath his pillow, but when hard eyes found Zuko he relaxed. The prince watched his tense body unwind, muscles visibly loosening from their battle-ready coils, and swallowed. From asleep to awake, just like that. Sometimes just _why_ Harry had been appointed his bodyguard slipped to the back of his mind, only to be brought back into startling clarity…

"Zuko?" The man asked with a yawn, running a hand through sleep mussed hair. "What's wrong?"

"Just couldn't sleep. Do you mind if…?" He gestured to the small table off to the side, suddenly feeling like a small boy asking if he could have minute of attention just for himself, and ignored it as best he could.

"Of course." Harry slid out of bed, his sleeping pants wrinkled and one shucked up around his knee. He didn't bother to clean up, just sitting down across from Zuko and serving them both a glass of water from the pitcher set aside. Harry knew exactly how to handle these nights – a calming activity and some idle chatter would sooth Zuko's rattled temper greatly. He pushed the box containing his calligraphy set towards the prince, saying, "Here, you should practice your Court Script – you never know when a letter from a stuck up noble might get rerouted."

God Zuko hated these nights, where he could do nothing but worry and pace his halls like a caged tiger. But at the same time, they were a blessing, because in the middle of the night when no eyes were watching he let all the heavy burdens of being a prince, an exile, his father's failure, just ease away…

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 **AN - So I'm back with the next chapter. I didn't love this one, and had to do some heavy editing to a couple scenes to even feel moderately satisfied. Zuko's appearance in this episode feels forced anyway. Also the last two are a bit of filler to give some insight into life on the ship, and because Zuko has some quiet angst moments too.** **I like the next chapter much more. Hopefully I can get that out soon.**

 **Also a few people mentioned that it was getting a little boring and that they didn't like the idea of just following along with the story line. I have to say I'm not entirely sure what my long term plan is, but I don't intend on keeping everything 100% true - the major plot points will be the same, but I might twist what happens between. Things are a little slow right now because the series itself is slow, but things pick up as more shit goes down and we learn more about the characters.**

 **If you still like it, follow and review; any support is appreciated. If you don't enjoy it in the end, that's fine, just be nice about it.**

 **Because honestly Zuko is hard to work with in the beginning - his screen time is rather limited and repetitive until a handful of episodes in. :P**


	7. Chapter 5: Encounters with Earthbenders

**Green Eyes & Fiendfyre**

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 **Word Count: Aprox. 3 700**

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CHAPTER 7 – THE WINTER SOLSTICE (PART 1)

ALERTNATIVELY: ENCOUNTERS WITH EARTHBENDERS

{ 26 } SPRINGS

The Earth Kingdom was a beautiful country, Harry had to admit that. It was full of rolling hills and sprawling forests with the occasional bamboo patch and lake, and for the first time in several months the air did not have the tang of nearby ocean. They had travelled inland tracking the Avatar's trail, which meandered back and forth, and Zuko was plowing ahead like an ostrich-horse chomping at the bit.

Now, they had taken a nice break to catch their breath, and Harry and Iroh wandered down a twisting path that led them through a small bamboo forest. The old man was chattering on about the different types of tea available in the Earth Kingdom, excitedly talking of chamomile, mint-ginseng and tao-flower varieties.

Scratching his chin, Harry said idly, "You know we can't actually go into any of the markets like we are now right? They'd drive us Fire Nation folk out in seconds."

Iroh paused and then glanced at him. "You could go in and buy it; you do not have a topknot, and have green eyes." Which had always been a silent point of contention between the three of them, as Harry only had the pale skin and sharp tongue to show his Fire Nation 'heritage,' but he ignored the comment and gave Iroh a flat look.

"I'm not going to buy your tea unless we're heading in for a supplies run," he said.

"If you do, I will bargain down the next _sake_ shipment we get."

"…I'll think about it."

The silver-haired man chuckled and rubbed his hands together, already anticipating the fine foreign teas he would get to try. They left the cover of the bamboo forest and passed by a series of small mountain pools. Under the stone basins he could feel the quiet hum of warm rising up from the ground and he paused when he realized what it was.

"A natural spring!" He exclaimed, hurrying to peer into the crystal clear waters within.

Harry followed and dipped a hand into the liquid. "It's not quite warm enough to soak in," he said, letting the water droplets cascade from his fingers. It wasn't exactly pleasant, but it was nowhere near as cold as the liquified iceberg that had been the Black Lake, he thought fondly.

"Ah, Harry, you forget the greatest skill of a firebender!" With a wink Iroh let out a long sigh and steam wafted out of his mouth. His hands, dipped into the luke-warm waters, let out ripples of heat. In moments steam wafted from the pools. "Perfect," he said happily, already stripping his robes (7).

Harry rolled his eyes and left him to it, not in the mood for a soak. On a ship full of firebenders warm water was not hard to get, so he could indulge any time he felt like, which beat any of his adventures into muggle seafaring. Shuddering at the dark memories of too-cramped holds and damp smelling beds, he climbed to the top of the small hill where a large flat rock sat in full sunlight and settled down for a nice nap.

{ 27 } CAPTURE

Iroh sighed deeply and smiled, content. Ah, wasn't life wonderful? A hot bath, the promise of future tea and the beautiful Earth Kingdom countryside – what else could a man want? The woods rang with the sounds of chirping birds and croaking badger-frogs and the rustling sighs of the wind passing through the trees and bamboo. It was so peaceful; a nice break from their usual steel home and rushed lives on the ocean…

"Uncle!" Ah, there came the rush. Feeling the familiar snapping embers of his nephew's inner fire approach, he cracked open an eye to watch the young man come crashing out the bamboo with all the grace of a komodo-rhino. "It's time to leave! Where are you? Uncle Iroh!"

"Over here," he called.

"Uncle?" He smothered a smile at the bemused note in Zuko's voice, for once sounding like every other teenager on the planet. The moment passed as he continued, "We need to move on; we're closing in on the Avatar's trail and I don't want to lose him."

Iroh sighed (rush, rush, why was it always a rush with the younger generation) and raised his arms to gesture to the steaming water around him. "You look tired, Prince Zuko. Why don't you join me in the springs and soak away your troubles?"

"My troubles cannot be soaked way; it's time to go!"

"You should take your teacher's advice and relax a little. The temperature's just right. I heated it myself." He let out another burst of steam to reheat the water, and gestured to where Harry's idle form rested at the top of the hill. "Look, even Harry is relaxing!"

A green eye opened lazily and regarded the two of them with a distinctly predatory gaze as the retired bodyguard stared down the hillside. They were pinned by the strong gaze for a moment before Harry grumbled and turned on his side, facing away. A hand waved limply at them over his shoulder.

Iroh and Zuko exchanged amused glance, well aware that a nap in a sun beam could turn Harry into a veritable owl-cat no matter where they were. The younger of the two gave the tiniest roll of his eyes and said, "At least get out of the water, Uncle, so we can leave soon."

With a sigh he stood and stretched. He watched, amused, as Zuko recoiled and looked away in the hopes of preserving his modesty. "You know what, why don't you take your time. But be back in the ship in half an hour, or I'm leaving without you."

Iroh chuckled and settled back into the water; atop the mountain Harry let out something remarkably close to an appreciative grumble. Unknowingly weariness began to creep into the edges of his psyche, and within ten minutes he was out cold. Time passed quietly until…

Among the trees, something moved. Green eyes slowly slid open, staring into the now silent woods. Harry felt the quick approach of heavy, ancient-flavoured auras with the tang of crisp mountain air and endless green fields, and he slid out of sight behind a large boulder.

Moments later he heard Iroh start awake, the old man's range on par with his own but his sensing skills not quite able to pinpoint what had made him flinch. He heard him grumble something about a meadow vole and chuckle quietly. Seconds after the ground rumbled and Harry heard the sound of shifting earth – something he hadn't heard in a while. Below him, Iroh's aura took on a distinctly perturbed flavour.

"Fire Nation soldier!" He heard one of the earthbenders say. A different voice said, "He's no ordinary soldier; this is the Fire Lord's brother, the Dragon of the West. The once great general Iroh. But now, he's our prisoner." He could practically hear the smirk in their voices as they moved forward. There was the jingle of shackles as Iroh was securely bound and escorted away.

Harry followed like a shadow among the underbrush, and began to plan.

{ 28 } EARTH

There were spikes in the hot springs.

Zuko warily stepped forward, eyeing the scene and knowing it had been untouched since the disturbance. Earth spears rose up from the basin Uncle had been resting in earlier, thankfully devoid of blood. The tops were neatly crumbled away like someone removing cinders from a half-burnt piece of paper, and shallow furrows ran up the hill in relation to the spikes.

"It looks like there's been a landslide, sir," one of the guards said.

He narrowed his eyes at the familiar traces. "Land doesn't slide uphill," he said coldly. "Those rocks didn't move naturally. My uncle's been captured by earthbenders!"

{ 29 } SUBTERFUGE

Much to Iroh's annoyance, his captors apparently intended to ride through the night. After he had managed to leave behind his sandal for Zuko, who would be on his trail soon, he had nothing to scheme about and keep him occupied. The earthbenders, obviously part of a routine patrol, rarely spoke and when they did it was in low voices and about terribly boring things, like how Lieutenant Jo-Sing had _finally_ asked out Jasmine. It made him want to beat his head against something hard, but the only thing available was the earthbender's back in front of him, and he was fairly certain the man would not appreciate it.

Luckily, he didn't have to wait long for some form of distraction to appear, as a lantern-light emerged from the gloom as they rounded a bend in the road. "Who goes there?" The leader of the patrol called.

The lantern light turned towards them, and a startlingly familiar voice answered. "Hello?"

It was Harry's voice. What was the man _doing_?

"Identify yourself," the patrol leader barked as they cautiously approached. The lantern light bobbed aside until they could see a figure sitting astride a grey and green eel-hound, dressed in simple gray and green robes. Harry's green eyes cut through the night with a strange sheen, but the expression on his face was entirely innocent.

"My name is Hiroshi," he said, speaking with a soft lilt that Iroh had never heard him use before. It made him seem like an easy-going civilian – all soft edges and quiet stillness. _Damn_ , Iroh thought, realizing what Harry's plan was. _He's good_.

The earthbenders relaxed when they saw the middle-aged man in simple robes astride the eel-hound, and the leader smiled at him. "Heading inland?" he asked.

Harry nodded, shifting the pole holding his lantern aloft so that it was wedged into the saddle. Iroh realized it was a familiar brass staff that held the lantern, and nearly laughed. Harry looked the simple part of a travelling citizen even while having his most deadly weapon close at hand. "Yes, I'm heading farther in to help take care of some family members; he and his nephew always get into trouble so I figured that I should help keep them out of it."

Iroh silently grumbled at that, but the leader ate it up like it was a sugar-root hotcake and laughed. "Family, eh? Why don't you ride with us; we're just escorting this prisoner to Ba Sing Se – I'm sure we'll be on the same roads for a while."

Harry smiled and expertly turned the eel-hound to the side so their ostrich-horses could ride alongside it. "Of course; it's nice to see officers on patrol." The eel-hound huffed quietly as they set out, and Harry soothed it with a gentle pat. He sent a glance at Iroh with nothing more than idle curiosity on his face, no sign of any recognition at all, and asked, "What did he do?"

"Ah, nothing much; just toyed with the wrong people." The leader grunted, obviously smart enough to not start blabbing to 'random strangers' about the Fire Nation general they had slung across their saddle.

(Where had the man gotten the eel hound? There were wild packs running about in these parts of the Earth Kingdom, but they were notoriously difficult to tame, and were known to hiss like a snake and run off if approached.)

Harry shrugged and continued on, all easy smiles and casual conversation. Iroh could only watch as he played the part of a regular civilian that could fit in just about everywhere and charmed his way into the guards' good graces. By the time dawn came, and with it more of Iroh's strength, the guards were comfortable enough in his presence to sleep in the saddle.

Harry was obviously intending to wait until he gave the signal; against three earthbenders, on the edge of a long slope, even a surprise attack could go wrong. With him in shackles, Iroh would only hold Harry back if he went on the attack. So he would have to make the first move. It was nearly noon when something came along to trigger his action, and it came in the form of the Avatar riding a dragon right of their heads.

He started at the sight, recognizing the blue tint of the spirit world but not knowing _why_ the boy had any reason to exit the earthly realm on the back of a dragon. Interestingly he also saw Harry`s head twitch slightly, small enough not to alert the earthbenders but noticeable to him. So Harry could somehow see the spirit world as well? That was another subject to add to his ever growing list of things he would have to have a _talk_ about with Harry…

"Is there something?" asked the earthbender, eyes narrowed.

"Ah nothing," Iroh was quick to say. But after a moment he paused and said, "Actually, there is a bit of a problem. My old joints are feeling sore and achy, and these shackles are too loose."

"Too loose?"

"That's right," he continued, realizing he had the man's attention. "The cuffs are loose and they jangle around and bump my wrists. It would help me if you could tighten them, so they wouldn't shake around so much?" He attempted a bashfully pleading grin.

His heightened senses heard Harry's smothered snort, but the leader didn't seem to be against the idea and said, "Very well. Corporal, tighten the prisoner's handcuffs."

They stopped, and the young man approached him with caution in his eyes. Iroh approved, but nevertheless, they were on opposite sides and he felt little remorse when he heated the cuffs and clamped the man's hand down on the hot metal. His cry was ear piercing and he stumbled to the ground, clutching his hand. Iroh quickly moved forward and shot a blast of flames to scare off the ostrich-horses and threw himself down the slope. He rolled, tensing his muscles to lessen the impact of hard rocks and packed dirt, and heard the rumble of approaching earth behind him.

Unfortunately one couldn't do much maneuvering while hurtling down the side of a mountain, so Iroh could only growl as the landslide over took him and slowed him to a stop. "He's too dangerous, Captain," one of the earthbenders said as they came to a halt around him. "We can't just carry him to the capital! We have to do something _now_."

"I agree," said the captain. "He must be dealt with immediately, and severely."

They hauled him to his feet a moment later, sure to keep their hands away from the metal on his body. As they earthbent their way up to the ostrich-horses, Iroh could only wonder why Harry had not leapt into action. Hadn't he been ready for a signal?

They cleared the ridge and Iroh was faced with the sight of Harry keeping a prancing eel-hound under control, the creature's wild yellow eyes focused on the still-twitchy ostrich horses. Thin strings of saliva dripped from its long teeth as it writhed for a moment, caught in a battle between its hunting instinct and the stern human on its back.

Right. Eel-hounds had a tendency to pounce on panicking ostrich-horses, as it was their natural predator instinct. For Harry, sitting atop one, to be dragged along with the crazy chase in the split second he was supposed to react and help him get away – it wasn't quite possible. If Iroh could have given him some warning before hand, then maybe, but as it was…

He met Harry's irritated gaze and bit back a sheepish smile.

{ 30 } RESCUE

It wasn't hard for Zuko to track the earthbenders. They weren't covering their trail, which was strange because why would they think that a Fire Nation native would be out here alone? He couldn't complain and quick to follow, though for some reason a set of eel-hound tracks joined them. They were common in these parts, and could often be found in the untamed wilds nearby, but this one was definitely tamed. The trial led on for a long while, and Zuko tracked as quickly as he could. The eel-hound tracks separated from the ostrich-horses' after the mountain that bore signs of earthbending, heading down a side road, but he could spare no time to investigate.

It was good he didn't, as he just only arrived in time to stop his uncle's hands from being crushed. He shivered at the thought – a bender's hands were often their life. A good bender could use all their limbs, but the hands held a finesse that could be found nowhere else. If Uncle had lost them, he wouldn't have been able to do something as simple and fundamental as heat tea.

Obviously, he had a lot of anger to take out on these particular earthbenders.

He jumped forward and knocked aside the boulder before it could wound Iroh. With a swift axe kick he snapped the chain pinning his uncle's hands in two.

"Excellent form, Prince Zuko," a voice said as a shadowy figure dropped down beside them. Zuko relaxed when he realized it was Harry, though he was dressed in Earth Kingdom colours.

"I had good teachers," he said in return.

"Surrender," called the captain. "It's five against three; you are clearly outnumbered.

Iroh smirked. "Ah, that's true; but you are clearly outmatched."

The fight, of course, went quickly, and ended with them as the victors. Zuko and Iroh were quick to take care of two of the benders and the captain, and when they turned around Harry had his opponents halfway across the pit and unconscious.

"Good timing," Harry said, a smile on his face. Zuko returned and put a hand on Iroh's shoulder. They stood in companionable silence for a moment, then the young prince said, "Now could you please put on some clothes?"

{ 30.5 } SURVIVORS

The Earth Kingdom soldiers woke slowly several hours later, bodies aching and minds filled with cotton. The captain, one eye swollen shut and an arm clutched closely to his chest to protect its broken form, shuffled about wearily. Thankfully all his men were accounted for, though some with wounds worrying enough to demand a slow journey back to the nearest outpost. He could feel the bruises and scrapes from the brief encounter with the three Fire Nation men throbbing incessantly, and the constant reminder of his shameful failure set his teeth on edge. To think, Prince Zuko and the Dragon of the West, here in the gentle hills of remote Earth Kingdom! As well as the other man – the one who had dressed so casually in neutral colours and them all completely fooled about his true identity. In general Fire Nation natives looked the same – black hair, dark eyes and a fairly pale skin, with a sharp tongue and an even sharper temper. The man had had the hair and the skin, but his eyes had been too _green_ for them to even consider him being anything other than a simple Earth Kingdom farmer with unfortunately pale skin.

Growling, he tugged at his hair and scowled at the sky. They were hours from the nearest town, and their mounts had run off, so it would be a long and exhausting journey. Thankfully none of his men's legs had been injured, so they would be able to walk, though several of them had badly bruised ribs and would have to make frequent stops. By the time they managed to make it to a militia office and inform them of the presence of Fire Nation royalty, the perpetrators would already be gone.

"Captain," said his second in command. The man was clutching at his bruised ribs and had to hold his head carefully, for his neck had gotten an awful sprain when he had been thrown by the unnamed Fire Nation man. "We're ready to move out – we have to get word to the capital as soon as possible. The generals need to know about this attack immediately."

"I agree, but we can't move too quickly; I'd rather not loose any men due to exacerbated injuries."

"Yes sir." The man gave the tiniest nod and went to relay the orders, but hesitated briefly. "… I just can't believe we ran into _Iroh_ , never mind the prince. Why do you think they're here, sir?"

"I don't know, Private, but it's not our job to figure it out. The Generals will take care of the Fire Nation royalty, as well as anyone else who accompanies them." _Like the man who had so easily slipped in among them, wearing a mask so natural it was frightening._

As the private went and began to help the other soldiers to their feet, the captain pulled out his report book and began to shakily take notes with his good hand. Alongside the details he had written on the prince and general shortly after he'd woken up, he bit his lip and put the charcoal stick to paper. _Unknown assailant – black hair, shoulder length, pale skin, green eyes, thirties; uncertain of Fire Nation descent; extremely skilled at subterfuge; advanced hand to hand combat knowledge; uncertain of relation with General or Prince; uncertain of bending abilities; possible roles – assassin._

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BONUS:

{ 27.5 }

" _Come back here you piece of shit!"_ Harry yelled at the sinuous green form scampering ahead of him.

The disgruntled eel hound, summoned by a convenient piece of modified parselmagic, spat back several crude words and continued to dart between the tall trees. Harry despaired silently at the situation – all he wanted was a useful mount to catch up with the Earth Kingdom soldiers and mock Iroh…

" _Come on!"_ He shouted, puffing as he sprinted behind the lizard-thing. " _It'll just be a day or so; I'll give you some food after and send you back!"_

The eelhound stopped and warily turned to regard him at his hissing words. " _Back? Food?"_ The creature inquired, eyes gleaming hungrily.

" _Yeah, you fucker, I said that when you first landed. Two boars once I'm done and you'll be back with your scaly friends."_

 _"Five."_

 _"Three boars and a timed warming charm."_

 _"Climb and go, slow man."_

 _"Ugh, you mouthy piece of shit. Fine, let me just conjure a saddle."_

 _"Leather trap?! Four boars then!"_

 _"Just hold still!"_

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Notes: (7) In Eastern culture public bath houses were common and often a social gathering place, so modesty did not apply in the bathing sense.

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 **AN - So, it's been a long while. A lack of creativity made it hard to write, and punching through that took time, but I figured I would put out a few chapters before I disappear again. I'm starting the uni semester in a new city so moving and getting adjusted to that will take up most of my time, so there will probably be radio silence again.** **However, great thanks to everyone who reviewed, followed and favourited! Seeing all the support definitely made me feel better. This isn't my best chapter, I personally don't like it all that much, but I'll post the next one once I've edited it.**

 **Also, there's been lots of requests for pairings with Harry - this fic will remain firmly gen, as in no pairings for Harry, and none for the other characters beyond canon relationships. Romance is hard to write, and can ruin a story if badly done, and I find that Harry is far to old and mature for the majority of the characters people have suggested. Almost the entirety of the cast is under the age of twenty, and Harry is middle-aged; I always think of him as late thirties, early forties. He has also lived through a war and seen some shit, so the pairings would never work, for me at least. Sorry if that disappoints, but better a non-romantic fic than it be ruined by forcing it.**

 **Reviews, questions, suggestions and opinions are wonderful to read, and I'm going to try and get back into replying personally if PMing is available. Lots of people really helped with putting down tentative plot points and ideas with their suggestions. I welcome everything, even if it's just one sentence.**


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